Archaeological Study Of Tooth-shaped Jade Ornaments From Shang To Han

The tooth-shaped jade ornament, with one end wider, tapering at the other end，ornaments of whose shape have been found in the east area of China and vicinityarea of Yangtze River as early as the Neolithic Age. Increasing number of similarornaments from Shang to Han Dynasty have been unearthed, made of jade, withchanges in shape and decoration according to the passage of time and differentregions.Judging from the literature, the tooth-shaped jade ornament is correspondedto so-called “xi” and “chong ya”, both believed as the symbol of ritual norms to be agentleman. This paper is meant to comb its development process, combining thedates of sites from which these ornaments unearthed, to do relevant study oftypology and chronology about diachronic evolution of style and synchronic regionalcharacteristics. Here we also have some museum collections parallel to the objectsunearthed to add to the study above. After observing and classifying these objects,we’ll further the discussion about its origin, naming, placement, techniques inproduction, functions and using rules etc., having it under the background of theChinese Jade culture study, relating to jade accessories with clothing and productionaspect of jade, and attempt to have a more complete and clear understanding abouttooth-shaped jade ornaments.