贸易陶瓷器在香料群岛的社会文化意义

Socio-cultural Meanings of Traded Ceramics and Porcelains in the Spice Islands:from the Ethnoarchaeological Perspective

民族考古学的类比概念曾经是考古学者"透物见人"的一道曙光,然而文化的复杂性及特殊性使得类比的方法备受质疑。民族考古学的方法可以建立假说,但假说最终需要证据检验,民族考古学最重要的价值是启发研究问题。以贸易陶瓷器为例,从相关文献和民族志可以推断香料群岛输入的外来陶瓷器具有"威望性"的社会文化意义,实用功能至少有储水和盛酒等,但目前的证据还难以验证其他更具体的使用功能。

Although it has shed lights on archaeologists' attempts to "discover people from artifacts", the concept of analogy in ethnoarchaeology has been doubted on its applicability due to the complexity and particularity of human culture. This research agrees that ethnoarchaeology can set up hypotheses which yet eventually need to be tested. The crucial value of ethnoarchaeology is to inspire research questions. Taking traded ceramics and porcelains in the Spice Islands as an example, it may have the socio-cultural meanings of prestige. Historical documents and ethnography also hint that it at least has practical functions of storing water and serving alcohol. However, the archaeological evidence so far cannot verify the proposition of other more specific functions.