中国古代的玉蝉

Old Jade Cicada in China

作为汉代主要葬玉之一的琀蝉,在史前时期主要发现于长江中游的石家河文化中,并且主要出土于瓮棺葬的底部,应该与某种丧葬仪式或灵魂观有关。汉代以前,“蝉”是楚文化地区的称呼,中原地区称为螗蜩、蜋蜩等,再给合楚地发达的巫文化、鬼神观念,推测中原地区的琀蝉,不仅其形态,而且其作为葬玉的功能,可能主要是来源于楚文化。

As major burial objects, pre-historical jade cicadas, mainly found from the bottom of urn coffin of the Shijiahe culture in the middle Yangtze River range, are related to funeral ceremony and the concept of soul in the Han dynast. Before the Han dynasty, cicada was named as ＂蝉＂ in the Chu culture, and ＂螗蜩＂ or ＂蜋蜩＂ in the Central Plain. Considering the popular and well-developed shamanistic and divination culture in the Chu culture, it is proposed that the jade cicada put in the dead＇s month in the Central Plain was borrowed from the Chu culture.