早期中国、古埃及及古中美洲最初的计时法

Linking Rulers to Time Cycles:Earliest Calendrical Notation in China,Ancient Egypt,and Mesoamerica

本文对三大早期文明(早期中国、古埃及及古中美洲)记时符号的形体构成与社会功能进行分析与比较,介绍国内外学者就此资料提出的看法,并在比较的基础上,考察记时符号与其他早期文字符号之间的关系,同时略谈有关时间表现的原始思想观念。

It has long been believed that calendrical signs constitute the most archaic layer of the Chinese writing system,as well as of several Mesoamerican scripts.Moreover,it has been proposed that calendrical notation preceded other forms of record-keeping and may provide a clue to the origins of writing,which remain a mystery in both areas of the ancient world.Yet,the comparative evidence does not support this hypothesis.Rather,earliest known calendrical signs are bound with numerals and onomastic signs,forming part of elite recording systems and iconography.This paper points out that,although the inventors of calendrical notation in Egypt,China,and Mesoamerica used diverse representational techniques,the link between concepts of time and kingship seems essential in each case.It will be illustrated and clarified through comparison that calendrical signs were not simply astronomical or counting device,but rather special-purpose signs intimately related to a royal persona,royal acts and the schedule of rituals that often allowed them to serve as royal appellations.