明代五十两税银银锭的考古学观察

Archaeological Investigation on Fifty Taels Silver Ingots in the Ming Dynasty

五十两银锭是明代官铸银锭,其用途、形制和重量等特征的历时性变化见证了明代白银货币化与税收白银化的复杂进程,是研究明代币制改革和国家经济体系的重要资料。本文通过梳理357枚明代五十两银锭的特征信息,总结了明代各类型五十两银锭的时空变化规律并结合文献理解其背后动因。明代早期到晚期,五十两银锭的生产单位由中央转移至地方,银锭形制从单一走向多样化。至明代晚期,各地银锭形制形成地方性特征,且呈现出王朝腹地相似度高,边疆各地差异较大的格局。与形制的多样化趋势不同,银锭的重量逐步接近标准重量且精密度上升,这源于中央政府对砝码管理和税银问责制度的逐步建立。此外,各地税银起运比例和运输路线对银锭的形制特征也存在显著的影响,起运比例大和运输路线重合度高的地区之间银锭形制更接近。五十两银锭一方面见证了明代赋役体制改革中税银生产与管理政策的蜕变,同时也反映了明代晚期各地税银的起运图景。

Fifty taels silver ingots were officially produced by the Ming government.The diachronic changes in the function,shape and weight of silver ingots witnessed the monetization process of silver and provide important insight into the monetary reform and change of the national economic system in the Ming dynasty.357 Ming fifty taels silver ingots were studied in this paper to elucidate the spatial distribution and chronological relations of various types of ingots.The paper also integrates literature to explain the underlying motivations.It is found that from the Early to the Late Ming dynasty,the production of fifty taels ingots was decentralized to the local level,leading to distinctive regional features in the late Ming period.The ingots made in the hinterland present a high degree of similarity with central governmental ones,but the ones made across the borders differ significantly.In contrast to the trend of increasing diversity in form,the weight gradually approached standard weights with increased precision,because of the gradual establishment of weight management and accountability systems by the central government.Additionally,the proportions of tax silver dispatch and transportation routes significantly influenced the form of ingots,so that ingots from regions featuring higher dispatch proportions and greater overlap in transportation routes are more similar in form.The fifty tael silver ingots not only witness the transformation of taxation silver production and management policies during Ming tax reforms but also reflect the tax silver dispatch in various regions during the late Ming dynasty.