The Style Of Prehistorically Chinese Ornaments: A Regional And Chronological Perspective

The emergence of ornaments related with the natural environments where prehistorically ancestors lived,life style and word outlook,etc.Ornaments can divide into head and neck ornaments,limbs ornaments,trunk ornaments,clothes ornaments and articles ornaments according to the difference of ornamental positions and objects. Major materials of ornaments included born,horn,tooth,clam,shellfish,etc.,most of which came from animals,and wood,stone,pottery,coal amber,jade etc.From the longitude,prehistorically Chinese ornaments showed different styles in the same region which on the different time,and it also had its own law of development;From the transverse,prehistorically Chinese ornaments presented varying characteristics on the same time which in different regions,but it there are also different factors by infected each other at the same time.Depending on the characteristics of the styles,prehistorically Chinese ornaments could divide into four types:firstly,ornaments have typical characteristics like rings and tubes;secondly,ornaments have typical characteristics like globes;thirdly,ornaments have typical characteristics like straight lines;fourthly,ornaments have typical characteristics like arc or curve.We respectively analyzed their characteristics of styles in detail.It was the disequilibrium of the development of prehistorically Chinese society that leaded to different regions went into cultural era in a different time.Based on this,we roughly used the time of going into cultural era as the dividing line,mainly according to the development level of productive forces and the development conditions of society; the whole country was divided into different regions and departments for the prehistorically Chinese ornaments.Then,we correspondingly divided the ornaments into different periods for the different regions,and studied the characteristics of all periods.According to the department state of society culture and ornaments,prehistorically Chinese ornaments can divide into six big regions:1.northeast region;2.northwest region;3.north China region;4.middle China region;5.south China region;6. southwest region.Every region has been divided into several sub-regions according to their own characteristics.At present,the emergency of the earliest ornament in China appeared at the late chronology of the Old Stone Age,so this chronology was the start of our study for this article.The lower limit of Chinese prehistorically stage was different due to the disequilibrium of society development in every area.Because Chinese culture probably appeared at the late of the New Stone Age or the Copper and Stone Age,so our study roughly end at this chronology,while some regions prolonged to the early chronology of the Bronze Age,and one or two regions were prolonged to the early chronology of the Iron Age,because the society there comparatively developed slowly.So we divided it into four based chronology:firstly,it is the chronology of germination,namely the late chronology of the Old Stone Age;secondly,it is the early chronology,namely the early chronology of the New Stone Age;thirdly,it is the middle chronology,namely the middle chronology of the New Stone Age;fourthly,it is the late chronology,namely the late chronology of the New Stone Age,also can be matched to the Copper and Stone Age(Some regions was prolonged to the early chronology of the Bronze Age,and one or two regions even to the early chronology of the Iron Age).The limit lines of the specific time are ambiguously,namely the specific time of beginning and ending is different in the different regions.Next,we studied the characteristics of the ornaments on the whole,based on the regions and chronology we have divided for the prehistorically Chinese ornaments. Firstly,we analyzed the characteristics of ornaments on different chronology and its wholly development regularities for all regions.Secondly,we explored the important development regions of different chronology on an angle of a whole for the ornaments all over the country.Thirdly,we explored the development tracks of several typical ornaments,and hoped to find out the infections existing in all regions.Lastly,we also discussed the infection among regions and departments about the materials,kinds and the special methods of use of the prehistorically Chinese ornaments.Through the study,we get the conclusions as follows:Firstly,the development of prehistorically Chinese ornaments possessed disequilibrium and pluralistic characteristics as a whole.Secondly,the styles of prehistorically Chinese ornaments are rich and varied.Thirdly,the development of prehistorically Chinese ornaments possessed phase characteristics,and meanwhile it also has the continual property.Fourthly,the important development regions are different on different chronology of the prehistorically Chinese ornaments.Lastly,there were the cases of interflow and infection among regions and departments of prehistorically Chinese ornaments.