A Study On The Change Of Gold Quantity In The Pre-qin And Han Dynasties

In the related literature,there seems to be information that there was more gold in the Western Han Dynasty and less gold in the Eastern Han Dynasty,so many researchers believed that gold "suddenly decreased" during the Eastern Han Dynasty.The academic research on this issue is mostly based on the general survey of the gap in the amount of gold granted in the Han Dynasties,but the change in the amount of gold is a dynamic problem,and the process from mining to use will cause quantitative changes.In order to discern this controversy,this article takes the amount of gold as the research object,takes the amount of mining and use as clues,combines documentary records with archaeological discoveries,and explores the changes in the amount of gold in the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties from multiple angles.In terms of mining volume,taking the gold-producing areas to cut in.The gold-producing sites before Han Dynasty included Sichuan-Yunnan,Chu(楚地),Fuchunjiang,Rushui and Hanshui basins;during the Western Han Dynasty,the areas of Yunnan Dayao,Jiangxi Poyang,and Xinjiang Nanshan were added;during the Eastern Han Dynasty,Lancang Water in the south of Yongchang County,Fushui Basin and Chaohu Lake in Anhui were added.The distribution of gold in the preQin and Han dynasties was unbalanced in time and space,with an increasing trend in time distribution,and the spatial distribution was more in the south than in the north.In terms of usage,it is classified according to its purpose.In the Xia,Shang,and Western Zhou dynasties,gold in circulation was mainly used as decoration of bronzes;the raw materials of gold increased from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the Western Han Dynasty,and gold coins were widely circulated.They were not only used for tribute,reward,punishment and bribery but also can be exchanged and represents a particular value scale,with the basic properties of currency.Non-liquid gold is mainly used for etiquette and funerals.The ceremonial systems such as sacrificial,vehicles,crown clothing and seals are important channels of ceremonial gold.The largest proportion of the total usage is reward gold,followed by gold paid by dukes or princes to the emperor(酎金)and funeral gold.It is difficult to conclude that the gold "suddenly decreased" in the Eastern Han Dynasty.On the one hand,the same batch of gold circulated among all strata,leading to a superficial phenomenon that there are more records of Western Han’s gold in historical materials.On the other hand,the gold in the Eastern Han Dynasty was not all concentrated in the ruling class but mostly hidden or circulated;the overall manor economy has gradually weakened the trading function of gold,and the decoration and storage functions have progressively taken the lead.;coupled with the increase in gold purity,tomb robbery and the concept of thin burial,etc.,the historical data about the amount of gold in the Eastern Han Dynasty decreased.