The Research On Ceramic Bell And Bronze Bell Of The Pre-Qin Dynasty

Bell is an important artifact in Pre-Qin period. Appearing first in the early Yangshao Culture and continuing throughout the whole pre-Qin period, it mainly contains two kinds, the ceramic bell and bronze bell. The current research about ceramic bell and bronze bell is not sufficient, lacking a continuous chain study. The origin has not been elaborately described, the developments have not reached full agreements, the discussions about its function have been very few, and the nature of the bell has also been confusing. The paper intends to make a thorough review about the current literatures on excavated ceramic bell and bronze bell, analyze and discuss the issues on the origin, distribution and nature of the bell, in order to help people get a new understanding in this field.The present paper consists of five parts.Part one is the introduction. It introduces the background of the topic, reviews the literatures of the study, puts forward the major issues in this field and then gives the study objectives and methodology. Besides, it also gives a brief definition of the bell.Part two is the type classification and phases. This is a fundamental part of this study and this paper. It makes a systematic description of the unearthed ceramic and bronze bell in the prehistoric period. Based on the Typology Analysis method, it classifies the types of the bell and then studies it in different phases. Moreover, the relationship between ceramic bell and bronze bell is analyzed and discussed.Part three is the analysis of the origins and functions. This is the main part of the whole paper, including the fourth and fifth chapters. It first makes a brief analysis about the origin of the bell and then discusses its developments, mainly from the aspects in the relationship between the bell and the bronze cymbals, the Bo and the clock. Besides, it makes a research about its functions, combined with the phase discussion in the preceding part, which reflects the various usages in different times.Part four is the miscellaneous discussion. It mainly discusses two minor issues about the co-main tile shapes and the methods of the suspension and tying about prehistoric bell.Part five is the conclusion. It summarizes the findings in this paper and also points out the limitations.