An Archaeological Study On Zhongli State

The State of ZhongLi,whose surname is Ying,is a small state in the Bengbu and Fengyang Anhui Province in the Spring and Autumn Period.Many transmitted texts do not have special records about this state.Historical documents,however,the record of "Zhong Li" two characters exist more fuzzy messages and conflicting parts,which always bring more inconvenience to us when someone explore the real situation about the State of Zhongli.Therefore,this may be the main reason why we can not make huge progress about the research of Zhongli.In 1980,a bronze drum,which has some inscriptions on the surface,was unearthed in the tomb of Jiulidun in Shucheng,and this tomb was thought belong to the State of Shu,a small state in the Spring and Autumn in the west of Anhui.After the continuous research and discussion,it was confirmed that it was an object of the state of the Zhongli.From 2006 to 2008,the tomb of Shuangdun-1 and the tomb of BianZhuang-1 were excavated.Through the inscriptions in some bronze vessels,there is no doubt that these two special tombs are the remains of the State of Zhongli.These findings provide extraordinary important information for the Zhongli and help us a lot about doing further researches.In recent years,the research about this small state became a hot spot of academic circle.The tomb of Qiaojianzi-2,which is judged to be a burial in the Spring and Autumn Annual,was excavated by Anhui Institute of Archaeology in 2013.This is the first noble grave in Zhongli,and adds the new materials to the research of the Zhongli.This paper,in which uses the materials from the State of Zhongli's above mentioned and combines some transmitted texts with the research findings from some famous scholar,will be discussed in the following chapters.Prolegomenon:Section 1,I will briefly introduce the environment about this state;Section 2,I will recommend some research findings from different point of view,including Mr Shaohua Xu's the Analysis about the Year of the Two Tombs of BengBu and BianZhuang,the TongLi' History and Culture.Mr.Lizhu Chen's the Study on the History of Zhongli State.Mr.Zhipeng Zhang's the Study on the question of Coexistence of Zhongli State,the Examination of "Zhong Li"Surname,the Examination of "Zhong Li".Mr Huadong Zhu's the Archaeology Study of Zhongli State from the Historical and Cultural Review,Mr Rongquan Jin's the Examination of the State of Zhongli in Zhou dynasty,Mr Hefei Sun' s the Discussion about the Zhongli and so on.These articles provide important help to solve the problem,such as where is the State of Zhongli,What is the Zhongli'family name,and when did this state be destroyed and who destroy this state.Section 3,I will tell you something about my thought and the way of research.Chapter 1:There is the briefly review of the archaeological discoveries of the State of Zhongli,including the site of ancient city of Zhongli,the tomb of Shuangdun-1 in Bengbu and the tomb of BianZhuang-1 in Fengyang,the tomb of Qiaojianzi-2 in Fengyang and the drum seat in the tomb of Jiulidun.This can help us have a general understanding of relics and the cultural feature about this state,and form the base of the following chapters.Chapter 3:This chapter will discuss some complicated questions,like what was the surname of the state of Zhongli,where was the State,when did the country be destroyed and who destroy it.We will make a summary and you will find that different scholars has different viewpoint.For example,when did the state be destroyed and who did it?Some scholars suggest that the state was destroyed by Chu or Wu in B.C.576;some scholars think it must be destroyed by Chu in B.C.538 or a little earlier;some believe that it may be destroyed by Wu in B.C.518;others regard that it was destroyed by Chu between B.C.447 and B.C.445.Therefore,although much achievements have been made in the study of Zhongli,there are still many problems which need to be made further discuss.We also hope more archaeological materials will be found in the future.Chapter 3:This chapter will discuss some remains of Zhongli.First,based on typology,from the aspects of their combination,type and ornamentation,the bronze vessels and pottery wares can be classified in different groups,and it can help us know much about the features of Zhongli.Through the analysis,it suggests two things,one is that the artifacts types of the State of Zhongli are complete,including ritual vessels,musical instruments,weapons,horses and miscellaneous devices;the other is that these implements not only contain its own culture,but also reflect on the communication with the surroundings.On the other hand,there are a few pottery vessels,especially in the large two tombs,and these implements could hardly be combined in fixed form,and the pottery pots with colored pattern are the most representative things in this state.In addition,this chapter will also introduce some relics of other materials such as jade implements,stone implements and so on.Section 4 will analysis the buried way of Zhongli,and we will compare the tomb of Zhongli with some surrounding states like Chu,Wu,Xu,Ju,Huang.Chapter 4:Section 1 will discuss the question about the status of the tomb owner of the tomb of Bianzhuang-1,I think that he wasn't a emperor of Zhongli because there were huge difference between this tomb and the tomb of Shuangdun-1 from the tomb's size,its funerary objects,and the bronze inscription;Section 2 will combine the archaeology materials with the transmitted texts and explore the relationship between the Zhongli and the surroundings.