观象授时与中国文明起源——从陶寺观象祭祀遗迹谈国家起源时期公共权力的形成

The Origin of Civilization in China with the Observation of Celestial Phenomena and Calender Making——On the formation of political authority during the initial period of state from Tao Si relic of observing celestial phenomena and offering sacri

按照我们现在的常识,一个政权有多少军国大事,国家安全、国计民生,千头万绪,首当其冲的无论如何也不会是观测天象、制定历法这类事,然而《尚书·尧典》记载的首件政务却是派员观测天象,制定历法。现在有了陶寺城址中“迄今发掘最大的陶寺文化单体建筑”,集观象和祭祀功能于一身,《尧典》的记载似乎容易理解了。据此二者的联系,我们可以推测,华夏文明的早期国家有一个最突出的特征,就是观测天象、制定历法,以“敬授民时”。

According to our present common knowledge, the most important thing for a government is , at any rate, not such a thing as observing celestial phenomena and drawing up calendar no matter how many vital things it has to deal with, such as the national and military affairs, the national security, the national economy and the people 's livelihood, etc. However, as is recorded in Yao Dian, the most important state affair was to send officials to observe celestial phenomena and draw up calendar, which has been much easier to understand through the archaeological discoveries in Tao si, the biggest single building of Tao Si culture up to now with the function of observing celestial phenomena and offering sacrifices to gods or ancestors. Through the connection of the two, we may infer that there was a special characteristic among the earliest states in China, that is, observing celestial phenomena and drawing up calendar so as to promulgate it .