The Discussion To Bronze Dagger-axes And Spears Of Southern Anhui

Compared with south of Yellow River area batches of bronze wares unearthed, southern Anhui bronzeware quantity are few, unearthed continuously and fragmentarily. A few of bronzeware materials are publically published, therefore it appears that research to southern-Ahui bonzeware is quite weak.This article first analyzes typologically 34 bronze dagger-axes and 34 bronze spears which discovered in southern Anhui from Western Zhou Dynasty and Autumn Period Warring States time. According to these weapons' different shapes, these bronze spears are divided into A, B, C three categories, altogether 12 types. The type-A includes 14 dagger-axes, with every dagger-axe structured by a long linearity Yuan and a straight Nei. The upper edge of dagger-axe' s Yuan is roughly parallel or in the identical horizontal line with the upper edger of Nei. According to the detailed characteristics of Yuan and Nei as well as whether there is characteristics decorative design in a utensil, these dagger-axes also can divide into five types; The type-B has 13 dagger-axes, with every dagger-axe with a long linearity Yuan and a straight Nei. The upper edge of Yuan is not parallel with the upper edge of Nei. According to the detailed characteristics of Yuan and Nei and the characteristics of decorative design in a utensil, the type-B dagger-axes can be divided into six types. The type-C altogether has 7 dagger-axes;they have the same shape. The Yuan is narrowly long and there is a bulge in the middle of it. The Hu is long or middle-sized. There are three or four Chuan in the side of Lan, and the shape of Chuan in the Yuan is square or circular. Also there is a nose-like ornament above the Yuan. The shape of Nei is rectangle on which there is a long linearity Chuan, sometimes with decorative design on it.The bronze spears can divide into A, B, C, D, E categories, altogether 15 types. The quantity of A-type spear is largest, altogether 20. The spear's body takes the slender leaf-shape, the mouth of Jiao is concave. According to the different shape of the spear body, different shape and length of Jiao, and detailed decorative design and so on, type-A spears divides into seven types; The type-B has 7 spears. The spear body is also slender foliate-shaped;the mouth of Jiao is even; spear bodies are mostly quite frivolous. The type-B spears can basically divide into three types. type-C only has 3 spears, Its body is arrow-headed or triangle. The body is sick and heavy with the mouth of Jiao even. they can be divided into three types, one type each. Type-D has 2 spears, whose shapes is almost the same. The spear's body also likes the leaf of willow tree, but the middle of the spear body bulges as circular; the ridge does not pass to Jiao, and the Jiao assumes circular shape. The type-E only has 1 spear, whose head is sharp arc. The median ridge gets up bank or ridge between fields running nonstop to Jiao, the median ridge and the cross section of Jiao makes the diamond-shape. Both side of spear body resembles the shape of flank, and already remnant, the mouth of which assumes the dovetail fork-shaped.Bronze dagger-axes and spears discovered in Southern Anhui province are all collected by the selecting, with a few by excavation, therefore lacks the stratum as well as the associated utensil, etc to speculate epoch scientifically. This essay mainly based on some Tunxi, Tongling, Qingyang, etc unearthed articles which have the associated utensil from which judgment of epoch can be made to this batch of bronze dagger-axes and spears. These bronze articles can be divided into approximately three categories by epoch. One is from mid and late Western Zhou Dynasty stage to early Spring and Autumn Period. The other issues from mid and late Spring and Autumn Period stage to early Warring States. The last one issues from mid and late Warring States stage. According to the division of epoches, development advancement of Southern Anhui bronze dagger-axe and spear are basically identical. In the first stage which is the developing period, their types are few and the manufacture is slightly rough and plain; The second stage witnesses those bronze articles' mature craft and flowering, their quantity increasing obviously, manufacture technology also improving, with many of those utensils made delicatedly; In the third ripe period, there is a decrease in both types and quantities of bronze articles.But it embody a practical tend of manufacturing.When discussed by cultural elements, bronze dagger-axes and spears can be divided into 3 fragments. The first group of weapons takes the area south of Yellow River characteristic; the second group of Chu culture utensils has local characteristics; the third group has the thick Wu and Yue kingdoms style weapon. The analysis and the preliminary discussion to southern Anhui bronze dagger-axes and spears as well as bronze weapon casting technology are also undertaken in this essay.Author believed that, southern Anhui in the pre-Qin period as a part of Wu and Yue kingdoms culture circle, has the close relation, in the bronze weapon manufacture, with the Jiangsu and Zhejiang area, but also has its own characteristics. Firstly, there are many types of bronze dagger-axe and spear in the southern Anhui area, and the development sequence is clear, especially for type-A and B dagger-axe and type-A spear which has natural continuousity in time;Next, southern Anhui bronze dagger-axe and spear mostly has characteristics of the Wu and Yue kingdoms culture; the south of Yellow River area bronze weapon style has embodied in the southern Anhui bronze dagger-axes and spears of certain early type, such as Aâ… ,Aâ…¡dagger-axe and D spear; there is also characteristics from Chu culture in some utensils. Dagger-axes and spears also has their own distinctions. Some types, such as Eâ… spear and Eâ… dagger-axe, are hardly seen in around area. For example, Câ… and Câ…¡spears are not discovered in Zhejiang Province, Hubei Province and south of Yellow River area. So southern Anhui area is possibly their original place. All these bronze dagger-axes and spears takethe local characteristics.