A Study On The Sacrificial Remains Of The Bronze Age In Western Liaoning

This thesis studies the sacrificial relics and relics of the Bronze Age in western Liaoning by referring to the methods of archeological types,comparative methods and historical documents.The thesis is divided into four parts.The first part is a review of the existing findings and data.The second part is to sort out the relevant data such as the distribution location and type of typical sacrificial remains found in the important archaeological remains of the Bronze Age in western Liaoning.The third part explores and discusses the relationship between sacrificial relics of the Bronze Age and our early ritual culture.The fourth part focuses on the origin of the sacrificial remains of the Bronze Age in western Liaoning.As the earliest Bronze Age culture in western Liaoning,Xiajiadian lower culture has stepped into the threshold of ritual civilization.This thesis selects the typical sacrificial remains seen in the lower culture of Xiajiadian and divides them into seven categories: altar remains,sacrificial pit remains,sacrificial ritual area,foundation remains,painted pottery,jade ware and bones,and conducts a systematic and holistic study.The sacrificial remains and even the sacrificial customs of Xiajiadian lower culture should inherit and continue the ritual customs of western Liaoning since the Neolithic Age.The number and scale of sacrificial relics in the lower level culture period of Xia Jiadian increased significantly.There are obvious differences between the utensils and types used for sacrificial rites.Overall,the lower culture of Xiajiadian should be the continuation of the cultural remains of the Neolithic Age in western Liaoning,and the content of its sacrificial activities may be similar to or close to the earlier culture.The upper culture of Xiajiadian is of a late age,which should belong to the early nomadic culture in the north,and its economic form should be based on animal husbandry.According to the analysis of this thesis,the number of altars in the upper culture of Xiajiadian is far less than that in the lower culture of Xiajiadian before,but the number of sacrificial pits is greatly increased,showing the difference in sacrificial habits between the two cultures.In general,the types of sacrificial remains in this culture are reduced and slightly different than before,mainly including altar remains,sacrificial pit remains,sacrificial area,bones and a small number of ancestral vessels.The source of the sacrificial remains of the Bronze Age in western Liaoning can be summarized into at least two aspects,that is,the sacrificial remains of the Neolithic Age in western Liaoning and the sacrificial remains of other areas.Most sacrificial practices in the Bronze Age in western Liaoning can be traced back to the Neolithic Age.In other areas,the archeological culture of central and southern Inner Mongolia exerted influence on it,which was mainly manifested in altar sacrifices and divination methods.According to the research results,the sacrificial culture of the lower level culture in Xiajiadian was relatively developed,and the altars throughout the lower level culture distribution area of Xiajiadian during this period indicate that the sacrificial activities at that time were extremely frequent and should have promoted the development of early national civilization in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River.The origin of the ritual system such as "Ritual of Zen" should have a deep relationship with the lower Xiajiadian culture in western Liaoning.The upper culture of Xiajiadian is the ancestor of Xianbei and Kitan ethnic groups.Compared with the settled agricultural ethnic group,nomadic people’s livelihood economy is more dependent on "heaven".The spiritual core of nomads choosing high mountains as sacrificial sites or directly taking mountains as sacrificial objects has been passed down for thousands of years.The upper cultural altar of Xiajiadian is the direct root of the tradition of heaven worship of northern tribes in ancient China.