A Study Of The Figurines Excavated From The Five Dynasties And Ten States' Tombs

The Five Dynasties and Ten States period,as a transition between the Tang and Song dynasty,research on the burial tombs shape,decorations of tombs and burial objects of this period has great significance to clear the evolution of burial system and funeral custom.This dissertation mainly concentrates on figurines excavated from the Ten States' tombs,discusses the feature of each area,concludes the whole visage of this period afterwards,then compares with the figurines of the Northern Dynasties,Sui-Tang Dynasties and the Song Dynasty,makes the evolution trend and the reflection of social change clear.The whole dissertation includes three chapters:Chapter one collects and sorts out the Five Dynasties and Ten States tombs whose funeral objects contains figurines,so far,a total of 30 tombs excavated figurines,the amount of figurines reached 770.The figurines from Five Dynasties and Ten States tombs was first discovered in the 1950s,then several discovered in succession.Since the 1970s,the found increased gradually which closely related to the archaeological work.With the archaeological work continues to expand and constantly improver in the future,the material of the Five Dynasties and Ten States figurines will be more rich.Chapter Two according to the burial location and features of the figurines,the Five Dynasties and Ten States figurines can be divided into the upper Yangtez river,the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtez river and Fujian area to study the three regions.The upper Yangtez river figurines belongs to the Earlier and the Later Shu State,divides into two kinds of clay and stone figurines,mainly are clay figurines;those types can be dived into figurines as tomb guardians and the warriors,civil service tomb figurines,servant figurines,animal and model funerary wares,gods and spirits figurines.These figurines are of harmonious proportion,the customs sculptures delicate,and made exquisitely,the drum figurines are unique to this area.The amount of figure has something to do with the owner of tomb.The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtez river figurines belongs to the Wu,Southern Tang and Wuyue State,divides into three kinds of clay,stone and bronze figurines;includes the human figurines,animal figurines,figurines as tomb guardians,gods and spirits figurines.Figurines in this area has obvious regional characteristics,almost made of wood.Fujian area figurines belongs to the Min state,has a large amount,the costume system is special in relative and with religious factors.The quality of figurines are not so good as other areas,appears to be more rough.Chapter Three summarizes the time character of the Five Dynasties and Ten States' figurines,compares with the figurines of the Northern Dynasties,Sui-Tang Dynasties and the Song Dynasty.The Five Dynasties and Ten States' tombs which buried with figurines are centralized in the Yangtez river and Fujian area.Figurines has not been found in the tomb at the same time of the central and north China,the custom of buried with figurines is more popular in the southern region in the Five Dynasties and Ten States period.Although the southern ten states' tombs are buried with figurines,it only accounts for a small proportion,and a single tomb's number of figurines is also reduced greatly.The Five Dynasties and Ten States' figurines has four texture of ceramic,wood,stone and bronze,the clay figurines' quantity is the most.Those types can be divided into figurines as tomb guardians and the warriors,civil service tomb figurines,servant figurines,animal and model funerary wares,gods and spirits figurines,the gods and spirits figurines' type is more abundant.The manufacture technique of this period steps backwards,decline is the trend of the development of the Five Dynasties and Ten States' figurines.It reflects the material and cultural differences that each separatist regime of the Five Dynasties and Ten States' figurines is of obvious difference.The Northern Dynasties and Sui-Tang Dynasties' figurines are mainly discovered in the central and north China,figurines begins popular gradully from Sui-Tang Dynasties.The basic combination of tomb figurines are four types of figurines as tomb guardians,figurines as travel and guards of honor,servant figurines,animal and model funerary wares,the figurines as guards of honor in nobel tombs occupies more than half of the whole number.The figurines has began to show the content of the life of pleasure as the center in the Late Tang Dynasty,and the figurines of gods and spirits began to be popular.In the Song Dynasty,tombs which buried with figurines mainly distributes in the south,the kind of the figurines of gods and spirits increased and came to be the focus.From the Northern Dynasties and Sui-Tang Dynasties,after the Five Dynasties and Ten States,and to the Song Dynasty,tomb figurines has experienced the change of popular region from north to south,combination from the figurines as guards of honor to the figurines of gods and spirits.The change has started since the Late Tang Dynasty,the decline of the figurines in the Five Dynasties and Ten States period is the symbol of that Song and Yuan Dynasties' tombs figurines reduced rapidly and even disappeared.In conclusion,clear the basic feature of the Five Dynasties and Ten States' figurines,has unneglectable effect to understand the change of prosperous from the Northern Dynasties and Sui-Tang Dynasties to the decline of the Song and Yuan Dynasty,the change reflects the dramatic social transition of the collapse of the aristocracy and the rise of the civilians in Tang-Five Dynasties'.