The Chu Tomb of Xincai Geling is located in the northeast of Xincai Geling Village, Henan Province, on a north-south loess mausoleum, near the junction of Xincai and Pingyu counties today, the terrain in the west and north is relatively high, and the terrain in the northeast and southeast is relatively low and flat.
In May 1994, rescue archaeological excavations were carried out, and after excavation, it should be a tomb of a high-ranking nobleman of Chu during the Warring States Period. According to the inscriptions on the bronze Ge and copper halberd unearthed from the tomb, "Pingye Juncheng's use of Ge", "Pingye Juncheng's halberd" or "Pingye Juncheng's use" and "Xiaochencheng" on the bamboo slips, it is inferred that the tomb owner should be Pingye Juncheng.
Mr. Qiu Xigui once used the ancient pronunciation of the words "night" and "public opinion" in the same voice, and read "Pingye" as "Pingyu", so it can be considered that this Chu feudal monarch named Cheng - "Pingye Jun", that is, the feudal town of "Pingyu Jun" should be in the area of Pingyu today, and the "New Cai Geling Chu Tomb" is the mausoleum of "Pingye Jun" in history.
The Chu tomb of Xincai Geling is a high-level tomb of Chu Fengjun's specifications, the plane is in the shape of "A", the tomb is a vertical pit soil pit, and there is a slope tomb road. The burial utensils are composed of coffins, and the coffin chamber is in the shape of "Asia", which is the first time found in the tombs in the Central Plains. It is divided into two parts: inner coffin and outer coffin. There are four chambers in the east, west, south and north, and the burial goods are mainly concentrated in the east, west, south and outer coffins. Although it has been stolen many times, there are still precious cultural relics such as bronze, jade, lacquered wood, bone and horn ware, tin ware, leather, pottery, ironware, and bamboo slips.
01. The excavation and shape of jade from the tomb of Geling Chu
There are many jade and stone tools unearthed from the tomb of Xincai Geling Chu, most of them are ornaments, and the utensils include Bi, Huang, Xuan, Pei, Gui, crystal beads, amethyst beads, agate ornaments, white marble figurines, jade materials, etc. It is mainly distributed in the west chamber and the coffin chamber, and a small number of discoveries are also found in the east and south chambers. In addition to some of these jade artifacts being buried by the tomb owner, some of them may have been ornaments worn on the martyrs of the Western Chamber.
The jade ware is mostly polished and polished, and the jade color is mainly white, greenish-yellow, gray-white, and blue-green, with a high luster. The pattern is decorated with grain pattern, cloud pattern, etc., and the carving technique is mainly flat carving. Among them, there are 14 pieces of jade, 3 pieces of jade pendant, 2 pieces of jade, 1 piece of jade wrench, 1 piece of jade ring, 1 piece of bamboo jade ornament, 9 pieces of crystal buckle, 144 pieces of jade beads, 4 pieces of jade blocks, 1 piece of jade material, 8 pieces of white stone gui, 25 pieces of white stone people, and 11 pieces of stone pendant. White crystal clasp. White and transparent, waist drum-shaped, upper and lower round, mid-abdomen convex to form a convex ridge. The cross-sectional shape is hexagonal, with a pair of drill circular perforations in the middle. Fine processing, smooth grinding, clean and bright, length 2.8, broken diameter 0.6, waist width 1.4 cm. Now in the Zhumadian City Museum, the era is the early Warring States period.
Amethyst clasp, 3 pcs. Amethyst is pure and crystalline. The upper and lower planes are circular planes, with circular perforations in the middle. Finely polished, rounded and shiny. The left one is 0.95 cm high and 1.2 cm in diameter, the middle one is 0.75 cm high, and the right one is 0.5 cm high. Now in the Zhumadian City Museum, the era is the early Warring States period.
Amethyst beads, a total of 36 pieces. Violet, translucent, beads as oblate spheres, drum-shaped, round, hexagonal diamond-shaped, of different sizes, all with perforations. Amethyst is pure, crystalline, finely polished, round and bright. Now in the Zhumadian City Museum, the era is the early Warring States period.
White crystal beads, a total of 93 pieces. White and transparent, the beads are flat and drum-shaped, the upper and lower ends are slightly flat, the middle is bulging, and there are perforations. Now in the Zhumadian City Museum, the era is the early Warring States period.
Topaz beads, a total of 15 pieces. The ochre yellow is opaque, and the individual beads are stained with white spots, and the beads are spherical with perforations. Now in the Zhumadian City Museum, the era is the early Warring States period.
Jade. Bluish-yellow, some with white spots. Flat and round, there is a hole in the middle, there is a residue on the outer edge, there is a chord pattern on the inner edge and the outer edge, and between the two string patterns is a shallow yin line engraved with a moire, and the decoration on both sides is the same. Diameter 9, hole diameter 4, thickness 0.55 cm. Now in the Zhumadian City Museum, the era is the early Warring States period.
Jade. Blue and white jade, one side is tan. Flat and round, with a hole in the middle. The edges are more regular, the whole body is polished, and the light element is not linear. Diameter 6.4, aperture 2, thickness 0.35 cm. Now in the Zhumadian City Museum, the era is the early Warring States period.
Jade. Blue-yellow jade, crystal moist, finely polished. The body is oblate and round, with a hole in the middle. The decoration on both sides is the same, and the grain pattern is carved. The diameter is 5.4, the aperture is 3, and the thickness is 0.45 cm. Now in the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the era is the early Warring States period.
Jade Huang. Blue-green with yellow earthy and gray crystalline spots on the surface. Curved, the two sides are decorated with the same pattern, decorated with moire, and there is a perforation in the middle of the upper end for hanging. Length 27, width 4, thickness 0.5 cm. Now in the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the era is the early Warring States period.
Jade pendant, 2 pieces. Blue-gray, partly yellowish-brown, rounded. Two square facets are ground out on the two sides of the corresponding piece, and there are pairs of perforations in the middle position for hanging. One piece is drilled in a round way from the side through the center. The edge rotation cut marks are clear. The left one has a diameter of 2.4 and a thickness of 0.8 cm, and the right one has a diameter of 2.1 and a thickness of 0.8 cm. Now in the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the era is the early Warring States period.
Jade wrench (jade wrench). Jade yellow, slightly transparent, shiny. The whole is slightly horseshoe-shaped, with a plate protrusion on the outside for string control, and a large hole for thumb to assist in archery. The whole body is light and vein-free. It is 4.5 cm long and 1.3 cm thick. Now in the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the era is the early Warring States period.
Shiraishi people, 3 pieces. Stone, gray-white, female, small in shape, standing in shape, concise in carving, and no lines on the back. There is no perforation on the whole body of the jade figure, and it should not be a pendant for hanging. According to the analysis of archaeologists, it is very likely to be a substitute for human martyrdom. Height 3.6~3.7, width 1~1.1 cm. Now in the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the era is the early Warring States period.
Kei Shiraishi, 4 pieces. Stony, off-white. Rectangular, pointed, tail or flat or irregular. One of the wide faces has a distinct cut mark. Length 4.1~4.75, width 1.3~1.6, thickness 0.3~0.5 cm. Now in the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the era is the early Warring States period.
Bamboo jade ornaments. Ochre yellow, jade is pure. The body is rectangular in shape, and the three bamboo slub decorations are divided into four sections. The cross-section is rectangular, and there is an upper and lower perforation in the middle of it. Length 6, width 1.3, thickness 1 cm. Now in the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the era is the early Warring States period.
02. Other archaeological excavations unearthed jade artifacts from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period
The jade unearthed from the tomb of Geling Chu is basically mainly decorative jade, but there is also a small amount of ceremonial jade, and its modeling, craftsmanship, ornamentation and other styles of the times can also be seen in other archaeological materials of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
(1) The early Warring States period cloud pattern jade unearthed from the tomb of the Warring States period Chu in Xiongjia Mound
Bi is the most important jade in ancient times, and the most famous jade bi in history, "Heshi Bi", came from the Chu State. The Chu Tomb of Xiongjia Tomb in Jingzhou, Hubei Province, is the largest, best-preserved, and most complete cemetery distribution of the high-level aristocratic cemetery of Chu State seen so far, with more than 1,000 pieces of exquisite cultural relics such as jade, crystal, and agate unearthed. It is mainly ornamented with jade utensils, and the shapes of the vessels include bi, huang, ring, beads, tubes, dragons, etc.
One of them is a cloud pattern jade in the early Warring States period, with a diameter of 9.9, a hole diameter of 4.3, and a thickness of 0.45~0.55 cm. Dark gray jade, grayish-white, opaque. Round flat body, the thickness of the two halves is uneven, there is a cut mark in the middle of one side, and the two sides are inscribed. The inner and outer edges are each engraved with a yin line outline, and the bas-relief cloud pattern between the outlines is carved. The ornamentation and shape are basically similar to the moire jade of the Chu tomb of Xincai Geling.
(2) Yuhuang, No. 2 tomb of Wangshan, Jiangling, Hubei
The No. 2 tomb of Wangshan in Jiangling, Hubei Province is a tomb of the Chu State in the middle of the Warring States Period, and a pair of jade huangs were unearthed. Jade is blue-green and shiny. The ends are slightly wider and the ends are in the same straight line. Decorated with grain grain, the edge is light. There is a perforation in the middle. Judging from the pattern, shape and carving process, it is more exquisite and detailed than the jade Huang unearthed from the tomb of Xincai Geling.
(3) The tomb of Zeng Marquis B in Suizhou, Hubei Province unearthed the jade of the early Warring States period
韘 is a tool used in archery in the Shang Dynasty. At present, the earliest known jade is unearthed in the tomb of the Yinxu woman in the late Shang Dynasty. Green jade, hollow cylindrical, one end is flush, the other end is high on one side and low on the other. The lower side is close to the back of the thumb and decorated with animal face patterns. There are two perforations under the order of the beast, for the rope to be fastened through the tie knot. The body, tail and feet of the beast are carved on both sides of the beast's face. There is a transverse shallow groove above the order of the beast, which should be the traces of use left by the long-term hook string.
In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the practicability of the chisel gradually weakened, and the decorative jade chise-shaped pei became popular. At this time, many high-ranking kings and marquis tombs have seen burial jade or bone tombs, and the unearthed positions are all on the hands of the deceased's skeleton, but the shape has undergone some changes. The high side of the thumb belly changes from nearly vertical to a gentle tongue-like slope, and the height of the chisel becomes shorter. The overall shape is no longer suitable for hooking, and there are no wear marks on the surface of the tongue-shaped slope.
Therefore, some scholars believe that the jade hammer at this time was already an ornament rather than a utility. For example, the tomb of Marquis Yi of the drum pier in Suizhou City, Hubei Province, unearthed a chisel in the early Warring States period. Off-white, the upper and lower ends of the device are flat, the plane is oval with a front tip and a round back, an oval perforation in the middle, which is used to set fingers, and there is a perforation on the wall of the instrument at the back.
(4) The tomb of King Zhongshan in Pingshan, Hebei Province unearthed the jade of the Warring States Period
A large number of precious jade cultural relics have been unearthed in the Zhongshan National Cemetery in Pingshan, Hebei Province, among which a jade hammer from the Warring States period was unearthed in Tomb No. 3. The unearthed position is on the hand of the skeleton, which shows that the hammer was a practical object for archery of the tomb owner during his lifetime. Through comparison, it can be seen that the jade style of this period has been freed from the old ritual system of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, more fresh, closer to life, and began to develop to the jade for life decoration.
(5) Crystal beads and ornaments
In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, crystal products gradually increased, and most of them were tokens and mascots, used for Hajj, covenants, weddings and funerals, sacrifices, etc. For example, the No. 1 tomb of Langjiazhuang in the ancient city of Linzi, Zibo City, Shandong Province, unearthed a crystal agate charm in the Spring and Autumn Period, which is composed of white crystal rings, tubes and amethyst beads, agate beads, etc., which are colorful and exquisite.
A crystal agate charm of the Warring States period unearthed from the No. 4 tomb of the ancient city of Lu in Qufu City, Shandong Province, is composed of crystal rings, diamond-shaped crystal beads, long drum-shaped crystal beads, white agate dragon-shaped ornaments, white agate Huang-shaped ornaments, etc., a total of 18 pieces are divided into two rows of strings, citrine rings are brown and transparent, the color is clear and clean, the crystal ring beads are colorless and transparent, clean and bright, and the agate ornaments are smooth and crystalline.
Compared with the crystal ornaments unearthed from the Geling Chu Tomb in Xincai County, this reflects the more exquisite jade carving skills of the people. Qi people not only developed the application of crystal materials, but also developed a set of superb skills that can fully demonstrate the transparent and crystalline characteristics of crystal materials themselves. The author speculates that this should be the result of the integration of Jingchu culture and Central Plains culture.
03. Conclusion
Looking at the jade unearthed from the above tombs, as well as other published relevant information, the jade categories of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period have changed greatly compared with the Shang and Zhou dynasties, breaking through the ceremonial jade of the Shang and Zhou dynasties to worship, worship gods, and flaunt identity-based ceremonial jade, and the programmed burial jade, that is, on the outer coffin lid of the tomb, jade gui, Ge, handle-shaped vessels, Qi, etc., and the inner coffin lid is placed on the jade ritual vessels such as Qi, Cong, Bi, Huang, Ge, Gui, etc., and are replaced by exquisite decorative jade such as bi, huang, beads, cards, tubular jade ornaments, jade rings, crystal rings, Jade Heng and so on.
The prevalence of decorative jade for life essentially reflects the transformation of human beings' concept of jade from gods to humans, and began to be centered on "people". According to statistics, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, decorative jade accounted for more than 70% of the total number of unearthed jade.
However, as ceremonial jade, the bi, gui, and huang did not completely disappear due to the rise of jade for daily life and decoration, but changed with the changes in society. The exquisite jade bi is mostly used as ornaments and gifts, and the jade cong, which is responsible for communicating heaven and earth and the symbol of power, has almost disappeared, and even if it is found, it is mostly used for other purposes after being transformed, and has lost its original political and cultural significance and important social role.