A Study Of Unearthed Bronze Burials Of The Western Zhou Tombs

This thesis takes the bronze burial objects unearthed from tombs belonging to the Western Zhou Dynasty as study subject,involving a total of 97 tombs with unearthed bronze burial objects more than 430.Firstly,this thesis makes an assortment of tombs with bronze burial objects at present according to the differences between ancient cities and conferred states.Secondly,this thesis analyzes shapes and structures of unearthed bronze burial objects,divides tombs into different periods which are actually classified into three periods.At last,this thesis,on the basis of period classification,analyzes the six aspects of unearthed bronze burial objects,including their types,combinations,placements,tombs’ hierarchy,ethnic belongingness,burial customs.This thesis consists of seven chapters.The first part,is introuduction.This part defines the concept of “bronze burial objects”,then makes a summary and comment on previous research results,explains the significance of the subject on that basis.At the same time,this part makes an introduction for the research methods of this thesis.At last,it gives relative explanations for spatial and temporal ranges,types,and hierarchy classification standards of bronze burial objects of the rules.The fourth chapter on the basis of the above,bronze burial objects and burial,ethnic,retro and other issues related to the study.The sixth chapter: conclusion.The second part is composed of three small parts.According to the differences of nationalities,this part makes respective surveys for bronze burial objects unearthed from tombs in Western Zhou Dynasty,and other tombs,without clear nationalities,are classified by referring to geographical administrative divisions.The third part makes a shape analysis for unearthed bronze burial objects.According to the coexistence of typical objects,bronze burial objects are divided into 4 groups,and related tombs into 4 groups,too,and those 4 groups of tombs also represent four developing stages of Western Zhou Dynasty.Through analyzing bronze burial objects’ combinations and features of tombs in each stage,all stages merge into three periods.The fourth part,according to unearthed positions of burial objects,this part makes divisions for tombs with bronze burial objects,and makes comparisons between the transverse and longitudinal of bronze burial objects’ placements in different regions.Then it summarizes some regular patterns of placing bronze burial objects.The fifth part is based on previous period divisions to make comparisons between types and combining forms of bronze burial objects and bronze practical objects.The sixth part,on the basis of above,this part works for relative analysis on the reasons for the rise and fall of bronze burial objects’ customs and the “returning to the ancient” phenomenon of burial objects.The seventh part is conclusion.Through the research of this thesis,we reach a conclusion that the custom of bronze burial objects experienced a developing process form growing,developing to most prosperous,from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the early spring and Autumn Period.This custom originated from the Shang Dynasty,and became one of the typical characteristics of tomb in Zhou Dynasty.The custom of burial objects related to ranks of tombs,experienced a trend from the bottom to top,which showed a kind of funeral custom’s changing with the social stratum.There were some regular patterns for placing bronze burial objects which were mostly located between coffins and kept relative spatial distance to potteries and bronze practical objects.Bronze practical ritual objects and burial ritual objects were used together,but they became separate sets in noble tombs on the late phase.In addition,there was a kind of “returning to the ancient” phenomenon existed in bronze burial objects,whose reason is still unknown and needs for further discussion.