Research On Dating The Bronzes With Inscriptions Of The Western Zhou Dynasty: An Integrated Approach

Mr. Guo Moruo was the first to carry out systematical research on dating the bronzes with inscriptions of The Western Zhou Dynasty. He developed the approach of using "the standard bronze" to divide the history into periods. Mr. Guo's work promoted the research on the bronzes with inscriptions in The Western Zhou Dynasty. The past fifty years have seen a large number of works on this subject.However, some difficult issues remained unanswered concerning the research on dating bronzes with inscriptions of The Zhou Dynasties: what are the titles of the emperors of The Zhou Dynasty before and after their deaths? Which emperor does Wang Jiang, the concubine, belong to? This research aims to provide reasonable answers to the above-mentioned questions by drawing support mainly from vigorous examinations of the bronze inscriptions as well as by studying the shapes, designs and decorations of Zhou bronzes and some unearthed tomb articles of The Zhou Dynasty. The methodology adopted in this research is an integration of the Chinese philology, archaeology and History.Finally, this study suggests that studies aiming to date bronzes with inscriptions need to take into account all factors regarding the bronzes so as to avoid any dilemmas and questions which would arise otherwise. This study is an attempt to use an integrated approach to solve the dilemmas and to answer questions resulting from previous studies.