White jade thread carved eagle, late Western Zhou Dynasty, jade, length 2.2 cm, width 5.7 cm, weight 16 grams, excavated in 1986 in Pingdingshan Yingguo Cemetery No. 1 tomb in Henan Province. Flat Top Mountain Museum Collection.
White jade thread carved eagle
From May to June 1986, the no. 1 tomb of Yingguo Cemetery was excavated in the middle of Pingding Mountain, which is a rectangular pit vertical pit wooden rafter tomb, and there is no earthen mound on the top of the tomb. The upper fill has been excavated by the brick factory about 3 meters thick, so the level of the tomb is unknown. The wooden coffin inside the tomb has decayed. From the residual traces, it can be seen that the burial utensils are one coffin and one rafter. According to the observation of the remaining bones in the tomb, the owner of the tomb is a middle-aged male. The burial utensils in the coffin are mainly ornaments worn by the deceased before his death, most of which are of jade and distributed around the skeleton. Among them, the skull of the deceased is placed on the top of a piece of jade; near each ear is placed a piece of jade; there are three pieces of jade (that is, jade); a necklace around the neck; a small jade ring is placed in the right elbow joint; a small copper ring is disposed of in the left elbow joint; two pieces of jade bi and a jade cicada are placed in the upper right of the pelvic bone, and one piece of jade huang, a humanoid jade pendant, and a jade conical instrument are placed in the upper left; there is a jade eagle on the inside of the pelvis; and a piece of jade piece in the right toe is disposed of.
Map of relics at the bottom of Tomb No. 1 of Yingguo Cemetery
This white jade thread carved eagle excavated from the tomb is white, slightly green, warm and smooth, and slightly transparent. The eagle's head and right wing have brown spots, which are deliberately carved using the "pretty color" technique. The eagle spreads its wings and flies, twisting its head to the right and holding its right wing with its mouth, forming a perforation. There is also a small perforation at the front of each wing, and the eagle's eye, eagle's back, and feathers are all linear eagles. The two claws are made into long strips, curled under the body. The head is carved in high relief, and the body is carved into an arch by the method of flat carving. The image is realistic and lifelike, and this eagle with wings spread with both shape and god is created with realistic techniques.
The tomb follows the system of burial utensils. Ding, Gui, Pot, Plate, Cup, And Yong are buried with supporting burials, which is the basic combination of bronze ceremonial vessels buried with the tombs of slave owners and nobles from the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period. The burial bronzes in the tomb often contained soil that has not yet been removed. From this, it can be seen that they are specially buried utensils. Combined with the tomb shape system and excavated relics, and comprehensively comparing the Yuguo Cemetery and the Zhangjiapo Western Zhou Tombs, it can be inferred that the age of Tomb No. 1 should be the early spring and autumn period. The owner of the tomb should be the last monarch of the Ying Kingdom, and the jade eagle excavated from Tomb No. 1 was the jade pendant of the tomb owner Ying Hou.
White jade line carved eagle frontal figure
White jade line carved eagle bottom figure
White jade line carving eagle line drawing
In 1986, Mr. Hao Bensheng, former director of the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Henan Province, suggested to the Pingdingshan Municipal Government that this jade eagle be used as the emblem of Pingdingshan City, and the capital of Yingguo, Yingcheng (i.e., Eagle City), also became an alias of Pingdingshan City.
Bird jade is one of the more common ornaments in ancient Chinese jade ornamentation, according to the data excavated so far, it can be seen that the earliest bird jade culture is the Hongshan culture and the Lingjiatan culture. There were fewer bird-patterned jade artifacts in the Xia Dynasty, and the number increased greatly from the middle and late Shang Dynasty to the Western Zhou Dynasty. After entering the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, especially after the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, the number of bird-patterned jade artifacts decreased significantly, or even nearly disappeared. Due to the geographical location and development background of different cultures in different periods, the characteristics of bird-patterned jade are also different.
1. Bird-patterned jade in the late Neolithic period
1. Hongshan culture bird pattern jade. In the Hongshan culture, the number of jade artifacts unearthed is relatively large, and most tombs only have jade as funerary objects. Guo Dashun once proposed that the Hongshan culture is "only jade for burial". It is a characteristic of the fishing and hunting culture in Northeast China. Among the many sites, the sites of bird-patterned jade excavated include Balin Right Banner Nasitai in Inner Mongolia, Hutougou in Fuxin County, Liaoning Province, Dongshanzui in Kazuo County, Liaoning Province, Lingsanguan dianzi Chengzi Mountain in Liaoning, Houwa in Donggou County, Liaoning Province, and Niuheliang in Liaoning. These six sites belong to the late Hongshan culture, which has been carbon-dated and dated from 5500-5000 years ago.
Jade owl, pale green, front winged, the back are traversed with a hole, wings and tail are wider, the head is carved out of the ears, eyes, wings, tail has a feather pattern carved line. Length 2.5 cm.
Jade Owl
Jade owl, the top of the head has two convex rounded ears, embossed round eyes under the ears, curved chewing; wings are spread, vertically carved two convex lines symbolizing feathers, as a climbing shape, the chest and abdomen are slightly drummed, the back is flat, there are three sets of cross-holes, which should be pendants.
In the Hongshan culture, bird-patterned jade objects are small in size, carved on one side, and have small holes for wearing and hanging on the back. The image is mostly based on owls, and the image of birds unearthed in the late Niulianghe period is soft, from realistic to abstract, forming bird-like jade. The early carving technique outlines the bird pattern image with simple lines, and there are polishing marks in the later stage, and the production process has been improved. The specific names of these excavated bird jade pieces are "owl", "eagle" or "crane", which is still controversial in academic circles. It can be seen from the image that these jade ornaments belong to birds without doubt.
2. Bird-patterned jade artifacts excavated from the Lingjiatan site. The Lingjiatan site is the largest and best-preserved Neolithic settlement site ever found in the Chaohu Lake basin of the lower Yangtze River. Its age is comparable to that of the Hongshan culture, and it predates the Liangzhu culture. Three pieces of bird-patterned jade were found at the site, all from the tombs. All three pieces of jade are carved in the shape of a jade eagle using the circular carving method, and the other two pieces are carved with abstract bird jade using the yin line carving method, and the shape of the utensils includes the characteristics of the bird's hook beak.
Jade eagle , tremolite, off-white. The width is flat and the surface is polished and glossy. It is winged and flying, with the head slightly tilted, sideways to one side, and the tail spreads. The head is carved with an eagle-like beak and the eyes are round holes drilled on one side. The two wings of the outstretched wings resemble a pig's head or resemble other animal figures. The abdomen is engraved in a regular circle, with a diameter of 1.7 cm, and an octagonal star pattern is engraved inside, and a circle is engraved inside the eight-pointed star pattern, with a diameter of 0.7 cm, and there is a hole in the circle. The two sides of the tail are carved with fan-shaped tooth patterns. Surface polishing. Length 8.4, height 3.5, thickness 0.3 cm.
Jade Eagle
3. Liangzhu culture unearthed bird-patterned jade. Liangzhu cultural sites are mainly distributed in the Taihu Lake Basin, south to the Qiantang River, northwest to Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province. A total of 35 bird-patterned jade tools have been excavated in 5 of the Liangzhu culture sites, namely 1 Zhaoling Mountain Site, 15 Yaoshan Site, 1 Xindili Site, 15 Anti-Mountain Sites, and 3 Fuquan Mountain Ruins. A piece of round carved jade is selected as a comparative study object.
The jade bird, located above the side of the main head of the tomb, is adjacent to the group of cones and crowns. The bird was unearthed with its back facing upwards. Pumpkin yellow. The bird is flattened, with a pointed beak and a short tail, two wings open, and the bird's head and tail are slightly upturned. The beak and eye of the bird are represented by cutting. The watch has cutting marks. There is a pair of drilled tunnels on the back. Length 2.95 cm, wings width 5.1 cm, thickness 0.6 cm.
Jade Bird
4. Bird-patterned jade artifacts unearthed from Shijiahe culture. The main distribution area of Shijiahe culture is south to the north bank of Dongting Lake, north to Nanyang, Henan, east to Dabie Mountain, and west to the upper reaches of the Han River. There are 5 sites and 8 pieces of bird-patterned jade excavated. That is, there is 1 Luo boling site, 2 Xiaojia roof ridge sites, 3 Zaolingang cemetery sites, 1 Gaoershan ruins, and 1 Sunjiagang cemetery in Lixian County. The bird-patterned jade in Shijiahe culture is realistic and complex, and the image of the bird is expressed with as many lines as possible, and the line of the utensils increases the ornamentation on the basis of expressing the image of the real bird, so that the bird image is more abundant. A piece of round carved jade is selected as a comparative study object.
Flying eagle, round carving, jade is yellow-green, with white markings. Embossed on the front, photocells on the reverse. The eagle is flying and has a strong and powerful image. Flat hook-shaped beak, small round eyes. The dorsal is wider , the tail is rounder , and the embossed feathers are patterned. The wings are protruding at the shoulders, and the wings are nearly pointed and forked. Each wing has four parallel feathers with hooks. The maximum width between the wings is 4.2, the length is 1.9, and the tail thickness is 0.35 cm.
Flying Eagle
2. Shang Dynasty bird-patterned jade
According to the existing archaeological excavation data, the Shang Dynasty bird-pattern jade first appeared in the Yin Shang period, because there are hundreds of bird-patterned jade excavated in this period, we select two of the excavated from the Yin Tomb as the research object.
The tomb of Yin Ruins unearthed a jade eagle: jade eagle, green, with yellow spots, round carving. The large hook beak is curved inward, the eye is shaped, the eyes are protruding, the chest and abdomen are convex, the wings are short, and the tail is not visible. The wings are decorated with plumes. There is an oval prong between the abdomen and the tail, with a round hole drilled in the middle that leads to the top of the head. There is a shallow circular hole on the left and right sides of the dwarf seat. Presumably an ornament inserted in lacquered wood. Height 6.8 cm.
Jade eagle, dark green, relief, as a wingspan to fly. The head is tilted to one side, the sharp beak is rounded, and one side is carved out of the chest and abdomen, and the other side is carved out of the back. There are small holes in the beak that can be worn. Height 6, thickness 0.2 cm.
3. Bird-patterned jade ware in the Western Zhou Dynasty
Sites of bird-patterned jade artifacts unearthed in the Western Zhou Dynasty include the Liulihe Yanguo Cemetery in Beijing, the Western Zhou Cemetery in Liangdai Village, Hancheng, Shaanxi, the Western Zhou Cemetery in Fufeng, the Xizhou Cemetery in Zhangjiapo, the Western Zhou Cemetery in Baoji Bowfish Kingdom, the Western Zhou Cemetery in Xizhou in Xizhou, the Xizhou Cemetery in Xizhou, Xizhou Cemetery in Xizhou, Xizhou Cemetery in Luoyang, Henan, the Xizhou Cemetery in Beijiao Village, Pingdingshan, the Western Zhou Cemetery in Luyi Taiqing Palace, and the Xizhou Cemetery of Liu Taizi in Jiyang, Shandong.
In the Zhangjiapo Western Zhou Tomb m50 and m58, two pieces of jade birds were found, making wings spread and flying. The body is slightly triangular, as if looking down on the floor plan.
Jade bird, tremolite nephrite, off-white, with brown spots. The head is cut in a yin carved arc, on which is carved a pair of round bird eyes, a pointed beak, wings spread out, and the tail is divided. The two sides are engraved identically. There is a small perforation behind the beak. Length 3.3 cm, width 4.4 cm, thickness 0.3 cm.
Jade bird, tremolite nephrite, light brown. The head of the bird is slightly triangular, with a pair of round bird eyes carved on it, a pointed beak, wings spread, feathers on the top, arc lines and triangles on the bird's body, and the tail is rounded. There is a perforation in the back of the beak. No trim on the back. Length 3.3cm, width 3.1cm, thickness 0.4cm.
In 1979, archaeologists collected jade eagles in Lixi Village, Jiangtun Town, Tengzhou City, with a height of 5.4, a width of 7.6 and a thickness of 0.4 centimeters. It is now in the Tengzhou Museum. The jade is cyan, slightly chicken bone white, the jade eagle body is flattened, the long neck is protruding forward, the round eye, the hook beak, the curved back is hanging wings, and the feather tail is retracted. The ornamentation on both sides is the same, both carved in a negative line, and there is a round hole in the curved back and jaw for wear and wear.
Tengzhou City Museum holds jade eagles
Neolithic realistic bird-patterned jade mainly uses the carving technique of round carving, supplemented by hollow carving, carving out the shape of a real bird image. In the Hongshan culture, most of them are based on the theme of owls, and the shape is fierce. There is the legacy of the fishing and hunting people, and when worn, it has the meaning of praying for a good harvest for fishing and hunting. Liangzhu culture takes the spread wings of the bird as the theme, all of which are small bird-shaped, soft lines, full of form, meticulous carving, only showing the general outline of the bird shape, for wearing. The bird pattern of Shijiahe culture tends to be complex, the lines are increased, and the ornamentation is based on the theme of eagles, and its shape is similar to that of the jade eagle excavated from Tomb No. 1 of Yingguo Cemetery. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, realistic bird-patterned jade showed a process of simple to complex ornamentation, and the variety of bird images also increased. And mostly use the carving method of line carving or round carving to highlight the typical characteristics of eagles.
From the above comparison, it is not difficult to see that bird-patterned jade appears in large numbers in tombs from the late Neolithic to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, indicating that it occupies an important position in the lives of ancient Chinese people, and in various regional cultures, bird-pattern jade is sometimes a decoration, and sometimes may also represent some kind of political or religious intentions.
Zhao Jing, female, master's degree in archaeology and museology, School of History, Zhengzhou University, is currently working at the Pingdingshan Museum, mainly engaged in museum exhibition work.