| First of all,this article uses the sheep astragalus unearthed in the Xiongnu-Xianbei period in China as the research object to classify,distribute and stage.The sheep astragalus is divided into five types: plain surface,perforation,wear scar,scribing and compound type.It is located in three regions: northeastern Inner Mongolia,central Inner Mongolia,northwestern Shanxi,and Xinjiang;The chronology is divided into two periods,the first period is from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century BC.At this time,five types of sheep astragalus coexist,mainly distributed in Xinjiang area.The second period is from the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD,mainly plain and perforated sheep talus,which are distributed in three areas.The wear scars,scoring and compound sheep astragalus disappeared.Secondly,analyze the function of sheep astragalus.The plain sheep astragalus has the function of martyrdom;The perforated sheep astragalus is an ornament,which can be subdivided into upper arm decoration and neck decoration;The wear-marked sheep astragalus is mainly daily necessities,and can be subdivided into counting tools and early tools or a military chess set;The scribing sheep astragalus is mainly a divination tool;The compositesheep astragalus has multiple functions,including decoration,toys,counting,and sacrificial functions.Thirdly,a comparative study of sheep astragalus from the Xiongnu-Xianbei period and the Bronze Age around plain,perforated and worn-marked sheep astragalus.The plain sheep astragalus had the ffunctions of sacrifice and toy before the Xiongnu-Xianbei period;There are many perforations in the central part of Xinjiang,and more perforations in the central and northeastern parts of Inner Mongolia.The changes in the wear-mark sheep astragalus are mainly reflected in the same degree of internal and external polishing of the astragalus of wear-marked sheep in Xinjiang,while the internal wear scars of the astragalus of wear-mark sheep excavated in northeastern Inner Mongolia are deeper than the outside.Finally,discuss the cultural exchanges,economic types,social status and other related issues of the grassland nomads reflected by the talus. |
