考古发现的桃梗与桃人

On the Archaeologically Discovered Peach Branches and Peach Figures

一桃梗和桃人是原始植物崇拜的反映，因为桃木在民俗中有驱鬼的特殊功能。古代民俗信鬼、畏鬼，《礼记·祭法》日：“人死日鬼”，信鬼是对死亡恐惧的延伸。《墨子·明鬼》多言鬼事，传递了先民顽固的鬼神信仰。《论衡·解除》曰：“衰世好信鬼，愚人好求福。周之季世，信鬼修祀，以求福助。”

Worshipping of peach tree and peach wood was an important ancient custom, and the taogeng （peach branches） and peach figures （human figures made of peach wood） were the personified symbols of this custom, which has rich records and vivid and detailed descriptions in the historic litera- tures. The function of the peach branches and peach figures was exorcizing evil spirits. In the tombs of the Chu State of the Warring-States Period and the Western Han Dynasty and the frontier remains of the Han Dynasty in Juyan and Dunhuang, large amounts of peach branches and peach figures have been un- earthed. The peach figures are made into female human figures similar to the maid figurines; the peach branches were only simply painted as a whiskery man in a fierce and forceful look, and the bottom of the branch was cut sharp in order to be planted in the ground easily. The processing of the peach branches and peach figures were continuously simplified along with the progress of the times and they had obvious temporal and regional characteristics, the archaeologically found physical cases made up the insufficient records in the historic literatures.