The Research Of Prehistoric Tortoise-purpose In China

In China, the cultural phenomena associated with tortoise, which have survived till now, exist from the prehistory to the beginning of history and still have an important status in Chinese traditional culture. Massive special carapace materials were unearthed in Chinese prehistoric sites and have vital significance to China traditional culture and even the research of the origin of Chinese civilization. Based on predecessors' research, this treatise systematically reorganizes, analyzes the unearthed carapace materials of Chinese prehistory, and proposes the preliminary view to the relation of the prehistoric culture phenomena associated with tortoise to the origin and development of Chinese civilization as well.This article is divided into six parts:The first part is the introduction: This part appraises the former situation of the researches on the prehistorically buried tortoise phenomena, and briefly introduces the research purpose and method.The second part briefly introduces the Chinese prehistorically buried tortoise phenomena, and outlines the prosperity and decline of the vicissitude of the tortoiseshell auspice in ancient China.The third part is about the Chinese prehistorically buried tortoise phenomena: This part introduces the unearthed prehistorically buried tortoise materials and summarizes the regional characteristics of the carapaces which were buried as funerary objects. This part also arranges and classifies the unearthed prehistoric carapaces from the biological point of view.The fourth part analyzes six aspects, including the processing situation of carapace, enclosure, unearthed position, sex and age of the grave hosts, special funerary objects, carapace carved-marks and so on.The fifth part is the analysis of the Chinese prehistorically buried tortoise phenomena, readdressing the use of prehistoric tortoise-shells. And some preliminary views have been obtained on the comparison of the prehistorically buried tortoise phenomena, the Chinese traditional culture and the origin of Chinese civilization.First of all, the tortoiseshell auspice and the bone auspice developed parallelly but the development is unbalanced. Tortoise-spirit worship didn't disappear completely after Dawenkou culture. Shang Dynasty's tortoiseshell auspice engendered resulting from the inheritance of Xia Dynasty and the technology of pre-Shang Dynasty's bone auspice.In the second place, from the three standards of the endurance of writing-system development, the similarity of archaeology environment, and the communality of cultural forms, the treatise proposes that the contribution of Jiahu lake bone-and-tortoiseshell carving still cannot be determined, though the possibility exists.In the third place, from the angle of primitive thought development, the treatise analyzes the possibility of the existence of Xiang and Shu Thinking in Jiahu lake culture.Finally, the objects in tombs with tortoise shell and information of the tombs' owners, as well as the transition of tortoiseshell materials and purpose, might indicate the characteristics of ancient ritual.The last part is the subtotal: Brief review and summary of the content. Unearthed carapace materials forms are attached.