Ancient Chinese History

北魏《真人代歌》内容并不限于鲜卑拓跋一部，甚至不局限于鲜卑一族，而兼有当时其他北方游牧民族事迹。其中《企喻》一章系鲜卑语，历来无题解，根据蒙古语可考知其为“军歌”“战歌”“武歌”之义。联类考察，可知梁横吹曲《慕容家自鲁企由谷》亦杂汉文、鲜卑语成题，涉及慕容鲜卑起源地问题。《真人代歌》中尚保存有与佛教信仰密切相关的作品，其宗教色彩不可忽视。此外，《旧唐书》《新唐书》对《真人代歌》记载的分歧与错舛，有助于确定《真人代歌》湮没的下限年代，亦可资管窥《新唐书》的史料来源与编撰情况，并供《新唐书》重新标点整理工作参考。

The earliest record about the Songs of Dai of Zhenren collection (approx. 100 pieces) is included into the Book of Northern Wei. Even though these song were used as state ritual and ceremonial songs of the Northern Wei court, the problem is, that all of them are lost by now. In the present paper I discuss 1) nature of the songs according to their titles, reconstructed materials from the dynastic histories, Tongdian encyclopedia, etc; 2) historical and religious characteristics of the songs; 3) the time of its oblivion.
The content of Songs of Dai of Zhenren 真人代歌 is not limited to the information concerning the Xianbei-Tabgach 鲜卑-拓跋 tribe, even not limited concerning to the Xianbei clan itself, but also contains the narrative about the deeds of other northern nomads of that time. Among them, the Songs of Qi Yu企喻歌 chapter's title is actually given in the xianbei language written in Chinese characters, meaning of which had not been decoded so far. Analyzing linguistic comparisons with the Mongolian language, I argue that its meaning should be understood and explained as "military song"/"combat song" or "song of war".
Several pieces included into the Songs of Dai of Zhenren collection also were believed to be closely related to Taoism, but through the comprehensive analysis I am showing that it is connected to the Buddhist belief and this religious background should not be ignored.
In addition, the differences and mistakes in the records between the Old Book of Tang旧唐书 and the New Book of Tang新唐书 on the Songs of Dai of Zhenren are important in helping to determine the latest timeline of the Songs of Dai of Zhenren annihilation, and could also be used to provide evidences on the historical sources and the compilation process of the New Book of Tang, as well as references for the job of the New Book of Tang's reduction.

The role and status of Minor Servitors (Xiaochen 小臣) during the Shang dynasty have been discussed by a great number of scholars; however, the nature of this post during the Western Zhou period has not been comprehensively studied yet. After clarifying some methodological issues, the present article first reconstructs the basic scope and character of duties of Minor Servitors during the Western Zhou times, using the inscriptions on those bronzes that mention the Minor Servitors but that were not commissioned by them. In the next step, the article employs the inscriptions on vessels commissioned by the Minor Servitors themselves to supplement further information about the nature of this post, especially about its affiliation. The basic service of Minor Servitors was connected to royal court's quotidian agenda, however, it was not restricted to menial tasks but also included participation in ritual activities; the basic distinctive feature of their service was the knowledge of court etiquette combined with the mastery of archery and possibly other martial arts. Since the Minor Servitors served also as mediators between the king and the aristocracy, they were in frequent contact with the high court officials and aristocrats, and it appears that they could also be dispatched to assist or accompany them. In the process of bureaucratization of the administrative apparatus of Western Zhou government, the post of Minor Servitors was included under the Royal House administration; although this shift did not bring about a substantial change for the official duties of the Minor Servitors, it contributed to a certain alienation between the king and the Servitors, and the prestigious tasks (which were usually rewarded by king) were hereafter overtaken and "monopolized" by the members of newly rising Royal House administration. Simultaneously, at latest during the Late Western Zhou, the post of Minor Servitors witnessed certain degree of division and specialization, as the emergence of Minor Servitors of the Great Hall (Taishi Xiaochen 太室小臣) or Minor Servitors of the Inner Chambers (Nei Xiaochen 内小臣) in bronze inscriptions suggests.

商代时期小臣的地位和职务性质曾是许多学者的研究对象,但西周时期小臣的职位性质及其发展尚未得到学术界的深入关注。本文从研究方法讨论出发,先从"作器者非小臣"类青铜器铭文内容中重构西周时期小臣的基本职责范围,然后从"作器者为小臣"类铜器铭文中补充关于小臣职位归属的其他信息。小臣在王朝日常仪式中起了较重要的作用,除了实用性质以外,其职务亦显现一定的礼仪色彩,而其职务的基本特征可说是在掌握王朝仪注的同时,具备较强的射箭技术、战斗技能。小臣作为周王与贵族交流的中介,与卿士贵族交往频繁,有时也为高级贵族服务。西周中期以后,随着行政管理体系的完善,小臣被纳入周王家政体系,其基本职责范围似未变,但与周王的关系在管理结构上发生一定的疏离。同时崛起的王家管理体系中的其他官员代替小臣担任较有威望的任务,而小臣的职责开始有分化现象,出现"大室小臣""内小臣"这类职称。这与《周礼》对小臣的职能描述相比,可见明显的差别;同时,了解西周时期小臣职务的特征,在一定的意义上有助于更深入地了解商代小臣的职能。

In this essay, we will find out what kind of information do the remains of human sacrifices, ritual bronze vessels and oracle bones provide us about the religion of the Shang Dynasty. At the same time, various theories and debates will also be discussed. Research question: What kind of information about the Shang Dynasty religion can be inferred from the remains of human sacrifices, ritual bronze vessels and oracle bones?

This is a partial compilation of references of Duke Xian of Jin, the ruler of Jin from 676-651 BC found in extant Chinese texts from the Han and pre-Qin periods. This listing is not exhaustive, and I will update this report as I enter more references.

Since its discovery in 2010, the Eastern Han wooden- and bamboo-slip documents excavated from storage Pit no. 1 in Wuyi Square in the city of Changsha have attracted wide attention among scholars. Until now, about 1,700 of slips or fragments were made public, which accounts for a quarter of the total amount. Current studies mainly focuses on the wooden slips that could be recovered as multi-slip documents. Unlike such attempts, this paper concentrates on 22 registers written on thin bamboo slips. In doing so, the author hopes to address the questions that have been neglected in current studies. This paper, firstly, examines the distribution of wooden and bamboo slips in Pit no. 1. The result shows that over 90 percent of slips are from the third level of Pit no. 1 and a significant amount of these slips are made in bamboo which appears to exceed scholars’ expectation. Secondly, this paper provides a new transcription of the term huozhu (Owners of Goods). Based on this, the author argues that these 22 bamboo slips were the registers of merchants who travelled from other commanderies and sold silk products in Linxiang county of Changsha commandery. Judging from the written content and material features of these bamboo slips, the author argues that they were part of a bamboo scroll stored in the office of Linxiang county. The storing of these bamboo-registers in the office of Linxing county, on the one hand, demonstrates the government control over commercial activities, on the other hand, shows the flourishing of commercial activities in Linxing which appeared to have deviated from the ruler’s ideal agricultural-based society.

Abstract: This article analyzes the remains of the Qujialing era at The Dengjiawan Altar the explore pits T11-T10, and concludes that smelting was carried out here in middle to late fourth millennium BC, and the smelting activities at that time were related to social ritual activities. The relics of the smelting that occurred here at different periods, early to late, can be divided into three different stages. The absolute age range is around 3600-3100 BC. The scale of the smelting site also increased with the passage of time. We can observe how the predecessors of the Qujialing period explored the copper smelting technology, tried different methods, and finally invented smelting vat (vat furnace). This technological breakthrough can be regarded as marking the beginning of Shijiahe culture. Qujialing culture is the era of rapid accumulation of knowledge about smelting and of the outset of numerous inventions. The predecessors of Shijiahe culture autonomously created the Bronze Age civilization on the base [of Qujialing culture]. The author suggests that the construction of the large city at Shijiahe and the invention of vat furnace technology should be viewed as key signs of the transition from Qujialing culture to Shijiahe culture.
Keywords: Yangtze River middle reaches, Qujialing Culture, Archaeometallurgy, Early Bronze Age of China, Shijiahe site, Dengjiawan
摘要：本文分析邓家湾T11-10屈家岭时代的遗迹，推论公元前第四千纪中晚期在此处进行冶炼，且当时该场所的冶炼活动与社会祭礼活动有关。早晚不同时期发生于此处的冶炼遗迹可分为三个不同的阶段，绝对年代范围约为公元前3600─3100年间。该场所的冶炼规模也随着时代推移而增加，且可以观察到屈家岭时期先民如何摸索炼铜技术，尝试不同的方法，最终发明了炼缸，这种技术突破足可以被视为石家河文化开始的标志。屈家岭文化是冶炼知识迅速累积与众多发明开端的时代。在此基础上，石家河文化的先民自行创造了青铜时代文明。笔者建议，将建筑石家河大城以及发明炼缸技术，作为从屈家岭文化变换到石家河文化的关键标志。
关键词：长江中游、屈家文化、石家河文化、冶金考古、青铜时代、邓家湾

〈晉公盆〉記載春秋時期一位晉國公主嫁予楚君，是少數春秋時代晉君的器物，相當珍貴。它雖已失傳，卻仍以另一種形式存在於世間──清代拓片保留了它的銘文和器影，而文字資料也提供其發現與流傳的訊息。
本文的目的是以〈晉公盆〉為例，示範運用金石學資料研究失傳古物的方法。首先，本文運用清代著錄重建器物的發現與收藏史。其次，收集所有拓片，還原器表現象，並對照科學考古資料，論證〈晉公盆〉並非偽造。第三，結合銘文拓片，論證銘文｢我烈考□公」的｢□」應讀作｢景｣，確定該器物的年代。最後，將銘文記載的晉、楚聯姻結合《左傳》記載，推論晉厲公之嫁女於楚，是為了重組國際關係，使晉國成功復霸。
期許本文的研究方法有助於挽救大量科學考古引進中國之前就已著錄，但又已失傳的古物的歷史價值。

As in many other pre-modern civilisations, inscriptions in ancient China did not generally contain any sentential or phrasal punctuation. This was in stark contrast to manuscripts of the same period which often display a variety of punctuation practices. However, an ancient bronze scoop measure unearthed in 1982 in Liquan County, Shaanxi Province, China, bears a short but thoroughly punctuated inscription on its underside. Who made the unusual decision to punctuate this inscription, and why?

This is a manuscript with added footnotes and Chinese characters of an entry published online at https://www.csmc.uni-hamburg.de/publications/aom/007-en.html. Please refer to the online version for high resolution zoomable images.

Abstract: In the orthodox history of China, the legend of Great Yu’s reigning in of the waters is shown as the background for the establishment of the first imperial dynasty of China (Xia). Therefore, in the later legends, the identity of Yu was deified and became the model of the god of controlling the water. For example, in the records of folk beliefs and legends after the Han Empire, the god of Yu was often connected when mentioning controlling the water. This phenomenon may cause modern scholars to generally regard the story of Great Yu's reigning in the waters as the only legend of the Great Flood in the Chinese tradition, and discuss it together with pattern stories of the destruction and regeneration after floods around the world.
However, the author believes that this "god hypothesis" ignores many key differences between the legend of Great Yu and myths of the Great Flood. Based on literature comparison, this article concludes that the story of Great Yu’s controlling the flood does not conform to the model of flood myths seen everywhere. It can be proven that this is a historical legend based on historical facts. However, within the tradition of the Ancient Civilization of Chu, there is actually the myth of the mother goddess Nüwa repairing the Pillar of Heaven. Although only fragments of the myth can be found today, based on what we can still understand from it, this story is in line with the mythical pattern of destruction and regeneration after a flood. The corresponding era that the myth tells about is much earlier than Xia Kingdom.

Keywords: Flood myths, Great Yu controls the Water; Xia Kingdom, The Mother Goddess Nüwa; Zhuanxu Emperor, Count of Gun
摘要：在中国正统历史中，大禹治水传说表现为天下建立第一王朝的伟大背景。因此在后期传说中，禹的身份被加以神化，成为治水神的范型，如在汉代以后的民间信仰和传说纪录中，提及治水之事时，经常会联系到禹神。这一现象或许导致现代学界通常将大禹治水故事视为中国传统中唯一的大洪水传说，并将其与世界各地洪水灭世和再生的范型故事放在一起讨论。
但笔者认为，这种“神论”忽略了大禹治水传说与洪水范型神话之间的很多关键差异。本文经过文献对照推论，大禹治水故事并不符合各地所见洪水神话范型，并可以证明这是有史实素地的历史传说。但是，在楚古文明的传统中，实际上还有女娲补天神话，虽然今日只能看到该神话的零星碎片，但仍可从中了解，该故事才是符合洪水灭世和再生的范型神话，其在神话中相对应的时代远早于夏王国。
关键词：洪水神话、大禹治水、夏、女娲、颛顼、鲧

Este trabalho tem por objetivo problematizar o debate acerca do ensino de História Antiga na Educação Básica, seja nas tentativas de reduzi-lo, seja em sua defesa, na medida em que se faz necessária uma busca por um denominador comum entre a democratização do conhecimento e a dimensão ideológica que um conteúdo contém. O objetivo central é o de permitir ao aluno uma melhor compreensão do mundo, a partir de uma educação com pluralidade de conhecimentos, mas evitando a noção de conteúdos “universalmente indispensáveis” em detrimento de uma análise verdadeiramente profunda sobre os usos feitos do passado e, no caso do ensino de História Antiga, os usos feitos do passado no próprio passado.

Hoy, aunque las inscripciones de plastrones y huesos fueron descubiertas hace 120 años, todavía hay muchas palabras que no están descifradas debido a la falta de recursos, incluida la palabra “” que, en este texto, trataremos de descifrar. Este sinograma aparece en la placa H.J. 13399. Dicha pieza posee un contenido sobre la lluvia durante una ceremonia de alcohol, y en la que se ha registrado todo el proceso, lo que nos ofrece algunas pistas para descifrar el significado de ese carácter.
Today, although the inscriptions of plastrons and bones have been discovered 120 years ago, there are still many words that are not deciphered due to lack of resources, including the word “” that, in this text, we wanted to try to decipher. This sinogram appears on the H.J. 13399. This piece is a content of rain during an alcohol ceremony, has recorded the entire process, which gives us some clues to decipher the meaning of that character.