Dynasty: Shang
Excavation date: 1939
It is now in the collection of the National Museum of China
Houmu Pengding, also known as Simu Pengding, is 133 cm high, 110 cm long, 79 cm wide, weighing 832.84 kg; Ding is poured in sections, the instrument is thick with ears, folded, the abdomen is rectangular, and the lower body is supported by four pillar feet; the Ding body is cast with Huilong pattern and gluttony pattern. The shape is huge, majestic and solemn, and the inner wall of the abdomen is cast with the three characters of "Houmu Pengding", so it is named "Houmu Pengding".
This ding was cast by the Shang king Zu Geng or Zu Jia in the late Shang Dynasty for the sacrifice of his mother (that is, the wife of The Shang King Wu Ding).
Excavated in 1939 in The Village of Military Officers in Anyang City, Henan Province, at the time of the Japanese army's large-scale invasion of China, in order not to let the national treasure fall into the hands of the Japanese army, the villagers buried it in the ground; after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1946, it was dug up again and hidden in the "Central Museum" in Nanjing; in 1959, it was transported from Nanjing to Beijing for collection in the National Museum.
Shanghou mother Pengding, is so far found in China's territory of the largest bronze, Shanghou mother Pending in shaping clay molds, turning pottery fan, hefan infusion and other links, there are a series of complex technical problems, but also shows that China's early 4,000 years ago in the Shang Dynasty has mastered a more mature bronze casting technology; according to modern spectroscopic technology measurement, "Houmu Peng" Ding contains 84.77% copper, tin 11.64%, lead 2.79%, and the Warring States period into the book "Kao Gong Ji Zhu Shi" The proportion of copper and tin recorded is basically consistent.
Dynasty: Western Zhou
Excavation date: 1976
Western Zhou Li Gui is also known as "Wu Wang Zheng Shang Gui", Li Gui is mainly based on gluttony patterns, with dragon patterns on both sides, and cicada patterns around the square seats; the overall upper circle is a typical western Zhou early copper gui shape. The inscription cast on the undersole of the vessel reads 4 lines and 33 characters: "King Zhengshang of Wu, Wei Jia Zi Chao, Shi Ding, Ke Shu You Shang, Xin Wei, Wang Zai Shi Shi, Giving Things To Li Jin, Used as a Tang Gong Bao Zun Yi"; it confirms the "Shi Jia Zi Ri Ming Shuang, the King as for the Shang Suburbs Mu Ye"; it confirms the "Shi Jia Zi Ri Ming Shuang, the King as for the Shang Suburbs Makino". It is also the famous "Battle of Makino" in history. The inscription reads to the effect that King Wu Keshang occupied Chaoge within a few days, and King Wu rewarded him for his meritorious deeds, gave him valuables such as gold and silver, and gave him a stake to commemorate the feats of King Keshang of Wu.
Excavated in 1976 in The town of Zhikou, Lintong County, Shaanxi Province, the excavation of Li Gui and the inscription cast inside it turned the important historical event of "Wuwang Keshang" from legend to reality; according to carbon 14 measurement, the Wuwang felling merchant occurred between about 1050 BC and 1020 BC; later astronomers calculated that the time of Wuwang's felling was on January 20, 1046 BC, based on the celestial phenomenon recorded in the inscription "Jiazi" day "year" (wood) star in the middle of the sky, referring to the astronomical record record recorded in the "Chinese Zhou Yuxia". The excavation of the Western Zhou Dynasty provided an important chronological basis for the division of the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
Dynasty: Eastern Zhou
Excavation date: 1990
Now in: Hangzhou Museum
The Warring States Crystal Cup may belong to the most cultural relics, because its appearance is very similar to the glass used now, so that some netizens jokingly claim that it is left by the crosser; the Warring States Crystal Cup is 15.4cm high, the caliber is 7.8cm, the bottom diameter is 5.4cm, the whole instrument is slightly amber, and the flocculent crystal inclusion is visible locally; the body is open, flat lip, oblique straight wall, round bottom, circle foot outer skimming; light element is wrinkled, and the shape is simple. The Warring States Crystal Cup is the largest ancient crystal product unearthed in China so far. Warring States crystal cup mainly uses curved polishing process, for the jade manufacturing has been very mature Warring States, this process is not unfamiliar, the rarity of the Warring States crystal cup is that it is made of a whole piece of crystal, the difficulty of making the shape is also greatly increased; surprisingly, the shape of the crystal cup is so similar to the modern glass, can't help but sigh that it may have been doomed in the dark.
According to the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Geology and Mineral Resources, the crystal used in the crystal cup is not produced in China, so the source of the crystal is still a mystery; in addition, the crystal cup is wide and narrow, and the polishing has greatly increased the difficulty of core, and the ancients used what method to polish the cup wall so smooth and the thickness and uniformity have not been found out.
Dynasty: Western Han Dynasty
Excavation date: 1995
It is now in the Xinjiang Museum
In October 1995, archaeologists found the artifact in an ancient tomb at the Niya site in Xinjiang; the excavation work of the site did not make much progress, and in disappointment, archaeologists excavated an ancient tomb, which is a husband and wife burial tomb, and one of the corpses wears a brightly colored, mysterious pattern, and some words on the arm of the magic arm. It didn't take too long to identify archaeologists who recognized the words on the armband "Five Stars Out of the East and China" experts looked at it and were amazed. Because the national flag of our country is the five-star red flag, this arm guard has attracted all kinds of doubts once it was made public, saying whether it is a modern industrial imitation or a modern work of art; after experts explained that this object is indeed a Cultural Relics of the Han Dynasty.
The eight characters of "five stars out of the East to benefit China" come from the Western Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian's "History of Tianguan Shu": "The five stars are divided into heavens, accumulated in the East, And China is profitable; accumulated in the West, foreign users (soldiers) profit." The five stars are gathered together from the stars, and the country they give up can be brought to the world. The ancient "five stars" refer to the five planets of water, fire, wood, gold and earth. "China" also does not refer to modern China but to the central plains of the Gyeonggi region in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River; later refers to the whole world.
There are also peony rare birds above the arm guard, the male bird stands at the bottom of the cloud pattern, standing tall; the whole arm guard is a Han Dynasty Shudi brocade weaving process; the text is strong and powerful, and it is very recognizable.
Excavation date: 1963
It is now in the collection of: China Baoji Bronze Museum
He Zun was excavated in 1963 in Jiacun Town, Baoji County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province (now Chencang District, Baoji City), Shaanxi Province, with a height of 38.8 cm, a caliber of 28.8 cm, and a weight of 14.6 kg. Round mouth prism, long neck, abdominal slightly drummed, high circle foot. The gastropods have a delicate high-relief animal face pattern, and the horned ends protrude from the vessel table. There are four ridges on the side of the body. The shape is thick and the craftsmanship is exquisite, which is a typical Zhou Dynasty wine vessel.
He Zun's most important thing is not the value of its substance, but the inscription cast on the utensils. The He Zun inscription records a series of activities in which king Cheng of Zhou built the Zhou Camp, held sacrifices, and rewarded his courtiers. It quotes a prayer issued by King Keshang of Zhou when he held a sacrifice at Mount Song, namely "House in China, from the people of the people". This cultural relic, the earliest cultural relic found in China so far, that describes the word "China" also confirms that the name of China has a long history.
He Zun was also the first artifact to appear with the word "de". The artifacts before He Zun, whether bronze or oracle bones, have no intention of the word "de". Before that, whether it was expressing gain or morality, all were without "heart", all were "getting". The inscription after He Zun indicates that there is a "heart" in morality, and there is no "heart" in other places like a person's name. It proves the concept of the Zhou Dynasty to rule the country with virtue.
Author: Chu ZhouMu
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