简牍所见秦汉时期胶的买卖问题初探

A Preliminary Study on the Dealing of Gum as Seen in the Bamboo and Wooden Slipsin the Qin and Han Dynasties

秦汉时期基层官府大量的修缮任务导致对胶的需求量很大,买胶成为基层官吏的一项重要日常事务。秦汉基层官府皆有专门的机构或职官负责胶的采买事宜,秦县中负责采买的是县库,汉代西北候望系统中则是由令史、尉史、士吏共同参与,并因其修缮职能的分散性而需在采买后进行胶的再分配。西北汉简中记载的胶价呈现巨大差异,应与胶的质量相关,也是当时社会治乱兴衰的真实反映。虽然胶的买卖在秦汉时期已为常态,但也有禁止麋鹿胶等珍稀动物所制胶流通的情况。

The great demand for gum due to the large number of repair tasks of the grassroots government,and purchase of gum became an important daily task of the grassroots officers in the Qin and Han Dynasties.There were special institutions or government which were in charge of gum buying,such as the county treasury in the Qin Dynasty,and which were jointly participated by the Lingshi(令史),the Weishi(尉史)and the Shili(士吏)in the northwestern reconnaissance system in the Han Dynasty,and had to be redistributed after purchase because of the decentralized nature of their repairing functions.The price of gum recorded in the northwest Han bamboo slips were very different,that should be related to the quality of gum and was a true reflection of the reality of the society at that time.Although the dealing of gum was a norm during the Qin and Han Dynasties,the circulation of gum made from rare animals such as elk gum was also forbidden.