安阳殷墓青铜礼器组合的几个问题

SOME PROBLEMS ON THE COMBINATION OF RITUAL BRONZES IN YIN TOMBS AT ANYANG

青铜礼器是商周贵族奴隶主"明贵贱、辨等列"的标志物,绝大部分出于商周时代的墓葬中,其数量之多寡因墓主身分之高低而异,其器类之组合因时代变化有所不同。研究青铜礼器组台的变化,对研究贵族奴隶主的等级身分、研究当时的礼制和由此反映的社会关系及意识形态的变化具有重要的意义。郭宝钧在《商周铜器群综合研究》中,较系统地整理了商周青铜礼器的组合,明确提出殷代是"重酒组合",周人是"重食组合"。学术界普遍赞同这一看法。在此基础上邹衡、徐自强又进一步通过商周青铜礼乐器组合的变化探讨了当时的社会阶级和礼制的变化。

The present paper makes a study of the evolution of the combination manner of ri- tual bronzes in the period of the Yin Ruins culture on the basis of the more than 140 unrobbed Yin tombs with relatively complete combinations of funeral objects excavated in the Anyang area.It comes to the conclusion that during Phases Ⅰ—Ⅳ of the culture there prevailed the'combination lying stress on wine vessels'with the gu cup and jue tripod cup as the core,though difference in this aspect existed between the large tomb and the small one.The large tome is characterized not only by the wide variety of fu- neral objects,but also by the indistinction of change from the early to the late period in the combination of ritual articles,the proportion between some article types and the presence of formal variation within each of the essential types,which reflects the con- servatism of the high-and middle-rank aristocracy.The small tomb features the limited number of article types and the rapid change of their combination,especially in the late period when new combinations emerged one after another,implying that the petty aris- tocracy(and,probably,some rich common people)dared to break old ritual tradition and make innovations. When did Yin people at Anyang begin to make bronzes exclusively for funeral use? Scholars believed that the funeralization of bronze weapons and that of ritual bronzes began in the Yin Ruins second and third phases respectively.In the present paper,the former is antedated to Phase I,while the latter to Phase Ⅱ. The cause of the general funeralization of mortuary articles in the late Yin period was related,on one hand,to the status and wealth of the tomb-owner.Funeralized ob- jects first prevailed in small tombs due to the fact that lead was cheaper than tin and petty aristocrats(and common people)were unable to get expensive ritual bronzes of quality for burial with the deceased and so replaced them with cheaper articles made specially for funeral use.On the other hand,at the end of the Yin period,bronzes ex- clusively for funeral use were also quite often buried into the tombs of middle-and high- rank noblemen distinguished in status and substantial in wealth,which was practised,of course,not for the sake of economy,but owing to the effect of the then prevalent soci- al custom closely linked with the contemporary ideology.According to historical records, in the late Yin period(particularly at its end),the existence of God,divinities and ghosts was suspected among people of both higher and lower ranks,and they were no longer respected so much as previously.Under the influence of this concept,ritual objects for burial with the dead were maintained only in variety and shape,and genuine bronzes were replaced by their imitations in inferior bronze,lead and pottery.