A Brief Study On The Evolvement And Historical Background Of Ancient Chinese Bronze Round Coins

Coins, in many aspects, reflect the politics and economy of a certain nation. The rise and fall of a nation or a race, as well as the people's living standard, is closely attached to coins. The bronze round coin is the most important member in the family of Chinese coins, for it is used from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty and the times after that. There are abundant materials for studying ancient Chinese bronze round coins. They can be found in the inscriptions on bones and shells as well as in the inscriptions on bronze. What's more, the materials can also be found in the documents of every dynasties and periods, which become the important historical basis for the present coin study. There are plenty of archaeological discoveries and antiques passed from generation to generation, resulting from the emergence and development of modern archaeology, which become the objects for scholars to study. The bronze round coins have been the antique collectors' favorite objects.In the former studies, people have achieved fruitful research results from the study of characteristics or aspects of bronze round coins, including size, thickness, weight, scripts, decorative patterns, coin casting and identification. Based on these research results, this essay is going to sort and analyze the materials of bronze round coins systematically, and divide the different phases of its development. By relating to the comparison of different social environments, the essay will seek out the dynamic regularity and characteristics of the bronze round coins. Furthermore, this essay is to analyze the social background that such characteristics emerge and develop, so as to propose the author's own understanding and opinion with the hope that it will facilitate the study of ancient coins.In this essay, firstly, based on the materials of Chinese bronze round coins with a square hole, the author divides the historical development of such kind of coins into five periods, namely, the age of Half-Liang Coin, the age of Wu Zhu Coin, early age of Baowen Coin and late age of Baowen Coin, as a result, the author summarizes the sequence of the general development of bronze round coin and its different characteristics in every phases. Secondly, through relating to the comparison of the social background of a certain period, the author is to illustrate one of his points of view that the rise and fall of the bronze round coins in every period is not a random and isolated phenomenon, but it is conditioned by the social situation. The coins are waxing when the country is prosperous, while they are waning when the country is declining. Such fact is clearly reflected in each period, which illuminates the important meaning of the study of ancient coins.