考古所见汉至宋蟾蜍形器物

Archaeological Findings of Toad-shaped Artifacts from the Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty

蟾蜍在中国古代文化中是一种特殊的意象。汉晋以来,受阴阳观念的影响,蟾蜍形象既是月亮的有机组成部分,同时也是月亮的另一种表现形式;这种意象在一定时期内体现古人阴阳、生死与现实观念。在考古发掘中,以蟾蜍为造型的器物屡见不鲜。特别是在六朝时期的墓葬中,蟾蜍形器物常常作为随葬品出现。然而,考古几乎不见唐代有蟾蜍形器物,直至宋代重新出现。针对这一宏观现象,本文通过对考古所见蟾蜍形器物进行长时段梳理,结合其所出墓葬及可能产地的分析,归纳出此类器物发展演变的线索以及时空分布特点。在此基础上,进一步结合对文献记载的梳理,说明蟾蜍形器物是在时人观念的影响下出现,进而成为一种特别的装饰样式而被特定的阶层所接受。正是在观念与器物装饰的反复互动中,二者相互叠加,从而形成了更为广泛的文化内涵。

Toad,as a special image in ancient Chinese culture,represents the moon or the conception of life and death as a symbol of longevity.Influenced by the theory of Yin and Yang,it could be considered as an organic part of the moon,or even another form of the moon.Over the period from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty,the toad-shaped artifacts were quite common,especially in tombs of the Six Dynasties period.However,this kind of artifacts disappeared during the Tang Dynasty,and reappeared in the Song Dynasty.Through collecting materials on toad-shaped artifacts along with analysis of the tombs where they were buried and their origins,this paper summarizes the characteristics of the artifacts through development and distribution in time and space.Finally,the author demonstrates that toadshaped artifacts came into being under the influence of ideology in specific times,which later evolved to decorative patterns accepted by particular social classes.The repeated interaction between concept and artifact decoration formed a broader cultural connotation.