A Study On The Bronze Weapons In The Pre - Qin Period In The Sichuan - Chongqing Region

Situated at the upstream of The Yangtze River, Chuan-Yu area(namely Sichuan province and Chongqing city) is located at the southwest hinterland of China. This area has kept in close contact with the central plains and the mid-low reaches of the Yangtze River since pre-Qin period and becomes a crucial part of the Chinese civilization. Moreover, the Chuan-Yu area has produced lots of exquisite bronze wares, of which the bronze weaponry falls into the target of this thesis. This paper attempts to create the temporal and spatial framework for the development of bronze weaponries in the Chuan-Yu area and discuss the funerary bronze weaponry and its cultural aspects based on the study about the shape-structure, per iodization, evolution and combination of the bronze weaponries. This paper can be divided into five chapters.The first chapter is the introduction which states the nature, geography and historical evolution of Chuan-Yu area, then elaborates the meaning of this paper. Additionally, this chapter generalizes the discoveries of bronze weaponry in the pre-Qin period, simply describes studies of the bronze weaponries of this area and introduces the researching methods of this paper. This chapter acts as the precondition and preparation of this thesis.The second chapter shows the typological analysis for the bronze weaponry of the pre-Qin times. This chapter has made a typological analysis for the 992 pieces of unearthed bronze weaponries which can be divided into 8 different kinds, concludes the quantity of the relics with different shapes and structures and deduces their regularity of evolution. This chapter plays the role of foundation for the whole study of this paper.The third chapter reflects the time and periodization for the Chuan-Yu unearthed bronze weaponries. These weaponries discovered belongs to four different periods:the first period starts from the late Shang dynasty to the early Chou dynasty; the second start from the early West Chou to the late The Spring and Autumn period; the third can be divided into two phases:they are the early warring states and mid warring states; the fourth from the late warring states to the end of warring states.The fourth chapter is the combinatorial study of the unearthed bronze weaponries of Chuan-Yu area. This chapter finds that the pre-Qin bronze weaponries combination is in close connection with the tomb grade, the higher the tome grade, the more the weaponries will be provided, and the most popular weaponry combination of the warring state are the composition of spear, dagger-axe, sword and battle-axe.The fifth chapter is the relative study. The fact that the bronze weapons are used as funeral objects in Chuan-Yu area is originated from the Yu Kingdom of Baoji(which is in Shaan Xi province), however the shape-structure of the bronze weapon and the status of their masters are different when we compare the funeral objects of these two areas, the funeral bronze objects are depend on the financial conditions of the cavingao. Moreover, the pre-Qin bronze weapons of Chuan-Yu area possesses five cultural patterns, namely cultural elements of Shang, Chou, East Chou, Central Plain, local culture, Chu of East Chou. Additionally, the first two periods are dominated by Shang cultural effort while the local culture and central plains culture dominate the third and the fourth phases, the remnants of Shang culture is only reflected by the triangle-dagger-axe. Even though the Chu culture has a deep impact to Chuan-Yu area, we can hardly find any clear Chu influence to the weapons of Chuan-Yu area.