镶嵌铜牌饰的寓意诸问题再研究

Restudy on the Meaning of Turquoise-inlaid Bronze Plaques

镶嵌铜牌饰是夏代前后别具一格的重要铜器,目前已知共发表16件。2004年,笔者曾就收集到的15件这种牌饰的分类、年代、寓意等问题做过初步研究(以下简称《初研》),并对它在中国早期文明化进程中的地位做了一些思考(以下简称《进程》)。次年,偃师二里头遗址02 VM3出土的镶嵌绿松石大型龙形器正式公布,为解释铜牌饰的寓意提供了全新资料,引起学界的极大关注。

The Turquoise-inlaid plaques are a sort of mysterious bronze artifacts which around the Xia(夏)Dynasty.Based on the new materials of turquoise-inlaid dragon-shaped artifact unearthed from Erlitou Site and the second collection plaque of Dr.Paul Singer,this article takes a renew analyses about the meanings of the 13 plaques(other 3 plaques are kept unknown),and draws the conclusions as following:they could be divided into three types which respectively belong to Xia,ancient Qiang(羌)and ancient Shu(蜀)people;the plaques of Xia mix together with the southern Shanxi(山西),Haidai(海岱,i.e.Shandong Region)and Xia it self’s cultural traditions;the Xia’s mythical system is a relatively complex one which is composed of the different gods of dragon,tuo(鼍,crocodile)and feng(凤,sacred bird);the Xia’s mythical system is the forerunner of the"Early China"tradition,and should be the basis of the royal art motifs of Shang and Zhou Dynasties.