长安县张家坡铜器群铭文汇释

EPIGRAPHICAL NOTES ON A GROUP OF BRONZES UNEARTHED AT CHANG CHIA P’O,CH’ANG AN,SHENSI

前言一九六一年十月三十日,陕西省长安县张家坡出土了一大批青铜器,共五十三件。其中有铭文者十一种,我汇集起来,一一作了考释。考释的结果,得出了以下的一些见解。 (一)器非作於一时。全部器皿是西周时代的东西,但作器的时期很不一致。有的早在周初成玉时,有的在西周中叶或以後。 (二)器非作於一家。十一种铭文中有三种明显标明是媵器,即是陪嫁的嫁奁,是从姬姓陪嫁来的。由此可见,器群的主人不姓姬,而与姬姓族通婚。

On October 30th, 1961, a group of fifty three bronzes were unearthed at ChangChis P'o, Ch'ang An, Shensi. Many of them bear inscriptions which can be dividedinto eleven different sets. The author has made a comprehensive study of these ins-criptions. The following is a summary of his conclusions based upon this study: (1) All the bronzes date from the Western Chou, though made under severalreigns. Some of them may be attributed to the time of Ch'eng Wang in earlyWestern Chou while others belong to the Middle Chou or later. (2) They were made by more than one family for three out of the elevensets of inscriptions clearly indicate that they were part of a bridal dowry from theChi (姬) family which was of the same clan as the Chou kings. This fact showsthat they did not belong to the Chi family but rather to their in-laws. (3) The owner of these bronzes was also connected with the Chi (姞) familyby marriage, a fact which is evinced by the presence of another dowry 'kuei-vesselmade by father Po Liang for Kung Chi'. There is no indication, however, of thefamily name of the owner. (4) The owner of the bronzes was a high official at the Chou court. Theinscriptions reveal that an ancester of his family took part in the east-ward expeditionof Ch'eng Wang and that by Middle Chou one of his descendants still held a militarypost. In ancient China, an office was passed by inheritance within the family.Apparently, from generation to generation the members of this family all held highmilitary posts. (5) That this group of bronzes were not made by a single family nor all at thesame time may be explained by the fact that they were probably buried as a hoardrather than as grave goods. The author suggests two historical events which mighthave necessiated their burial as a hoard, namely, the fleeing of Li Wang to Ch'ihand the barbarian destruction of Western Chou at the time of Yu Wang. Historicalsources mention that in the thirty seventh year of the reign of Li Wang a popularrevolt broke out in the country and the king fled to Ch'ih which lay to the northeastof presentday Ho Hsien in Shansi. In the following year, a regency was founded byKung Po Ho which lasted fourteen years. (Incidentally, the old tradition concerningthe ioint regency of Dukes Chou and Chao is unreliable.) This was a time ofrevolutionary ferment in the history of the Western Chou. And the intensity ofensuing struggles is indicated by the fact that the life of Crown Prince Ching wassaved only after Duke Chao had his own son killed as a scapegoat by the rebels. It may be surmised that those aristocrats who did not side with the rebelsat that time would have been compelled to hoard their precious bronzes and flee. Ifso, such hoards should have been recovered by the owners after the 'resurgence' ofHsuan Wang. But the fact is that in recent years, quite a few bronze hoardsbelonging to this period have been found, including the one discovered in October1960 by the Shensi Historical Museum at Ch'i Chia Ts'un, Hsing P'ing county. Inaddition, indications of several similar hoards have also been known. The authoris inclined, therefore, to the opinion that the present hoard was probably buried at thetime of Yu Wang when the kingdom was invaded by the Ch'uan Jung tribes from thewest. That the custom of mourning for three years was never practised in Early Chouis here confirmed by one of these inscriptions. Very probably this 'custom was firstadvocsted by Confucius himself. Moreover, these inscriptions have also thrown muchnew light on such problems as the official. system of the time and the names of somebronzes, etc.