三星堆遗址祭祀区八号坑出土石磬

Stone Chimes Unearthed from the No.8 Pit in the Sacrificial Area of Sanxingdui Site

三星堆遗址祭祀区八号坑出土9件石磬残块,经拼对确认所有残块均来自同一件大型石磬。该石磬材质为致密砂板岩,整体形态接近半圆形,拼合后总长101、宽53.5厘米。石磬厚度均匀,两侧表面均打磨平整,边缘可见琢制修整痕迹,具有明显的鼓股区分,且鼓上缘和股上缘略经打磨。石磬残块分布于八号坑东西两端,整体破裂痕迹分布较为均匀,初步推测可能是在入坑前就因整体水平重摔而破碎。此件石磬在编制方式上为特磬制,是金沙遗址所见双悬编磬制在成都平原本地的源头,同时也是目前中国西南地区发现年代最早的一件石磬及大型礼乐器,反映了晚商时期中原系礼乐制度向周边地区的扩展。

The Emergence of ritual musical instruments was an important characteristic in the development of ancient China’s political system, with stone chime being one of the core material representations in this process.Nevertheless, how the stone chime appeared in Southwest China has long been unclear. During the recent archaeological excavation at the sacrificial area of Sanxingdui site, nine pieces of stone chime fragments were recovered from the pit No.8. Refitting analysis confirms that they all come from the same stone chime which was made of compact silt slate with an approximately semicircular shape and a clear distinction between the front and end sides. The original stone chime is 101 cm in length and 53.5 cm in width. It has a uniform thickness of 3.3 to 3.6 cm, and the surface of both sides were polished smoothly. Trimming traces can be seen around its edge, and the upper edges of front and end were roughly polished. It is surmised that its edge was chiselled with certain metal tools. The fragments were relatively concentrated around the east and west ends of pit No.8. Most of them were buried between the layer of relatively purer clay(layer 6) and the layer of burnt ash(layer 7), implying that they were cast into the sacrificial pit during a later step of the sacrificial ceremony. The cracks on the stone chime are evenly distributed on the whole, with no visible striking point on its surface. Therefore, it probably had been broken due to falling on the ground horizontally before its fragments were cast into the pit.The stone chime from pit No.8 reflects a singular hanging system, which should be the local predecessor of the double hanging system seen on the stone chimes from Jinsha site. Meanwhile, it’s by far the earliest stone chime as well as the earliest large-sized ritual musical instrument discovered in Southwest China. In comparison with contemporaneous stone chimes found at the Yinxu site of the Central Plain, the Sanxingdui stone chime shows no inferior in either size or craftsmanship. Given that no earlier and more primitive prototype of stone chime has been found in Southwest China, the nonlinear appearance of relatively matured form of stone chime at Sanxingdui site suggests the diffusion of the ritual musical system of Central Plain towards the surrounding regions during the late Shang period.