日本泉屋博古馆所见先秦私文书(三)——春秋战国青铜私文书的衰落

Private Documents of Pre-Qin Dynasty Stored up in Izumiya Museum in Japan----the Decline of Private Documents Carved on BronzeWares in the Spring and Autumn Period and Period of Warring States

日本泉屋博古馆展藏的春秋战国青铜铭文器明显少于西周,从著录的金文集里看,春秋战国的青铜铭文器数、字数及内容,与西周相比也骤然减少。其原因是奴隶制度的代表制如分封制、宗法制、礼制等,到了春秋战国时期逐步走向衰落,家庭或家族的铸器铸铭之风,也必然要随其走向衰落,这是青铜私文书衰落的一个原因;另外,代替青铜私文书载体的其他材料如铁、竹木、玉石的大量使用,是青铜私文书衰落的另一个原因。总之,从先秦青铜私文书的发展变化中可以看出,任何一种社会文化的发生与发展都与其政治制度的兴起、鼎盛、衰落有紧密的联系,是社会事物发展变化的必然结果。

Bronze wares with inscriptions stored up in Izumiya Museum of Eastern Zhou Dynasty are evidently less than those of Western Zhou Dynasty.According to the records of inscriptions,bronze wares,inscriptions on them and contents of the inscriptions of Eastern Zhou Dynasty suddenly decreased than before.But why? One reason is that the system of enfeoffment,the system of patriarchal clan and the system of etiquette,which are the symbol of slave society,declined slowly in Eastern Zhou Dynasty so that bronze wares with inscriptions of the clans declined inevitably.The other reason is that more and more irons,bamboo slips and jadewares are used as carriers of private documents instead of bronze wares.In short,the evolution of any culture was closely connected with the rise and fall of political systems and was inevitable outcome of social development.