Shang And Zhou Bronze Goblet

Bronze Gu was a type of important wine vessels and the core of the sacrificial system in the Shang and Zhou period. It appeared in the up-layer stratum of Er Li Gang of Shang dynasty, got prosperity in the third phase of Yin xu ruins. In the ending of the Shang dynasty and the beginning of the Western Zhou dynasty, Bronze Gu became feeble. It disappeared completely in the middle period of Western Zhou dynasty. The author collects 358 unearthed Bronze Gus and 199 handed-down Bronze Gus which have very early characteristic of times and divides the history of Bronze Gus into four periods and seven phases based on the typology of archaeology. Bronze Gu was named by scholars of Song dynasty. Its basic use was a drinking device. Bronze Gu was used orderly with jue .In the grave , Gu and jue often appeared one to one. In the early stage of Shang dynasty , two Gus or more which appeared in the same grave were often two kinds of structure. In the later stage of Shang dynasty and later, the structure was convergent. It reflected the norm and perfection of the sacrificial system. The quantity of Gu and jue also reflected the rank of the nobility. The quantity was large, the owner's identity status was higer. Bronze Gu was also used orderly with jiao. In the forth phase of Yin xu-the ending of the Shang dynasty, Bronze Gu and jue were orderly used with Bronze zhi .In the later of Shang dynasty, because of the prosperity of bronze culture ,the similar implements influnced each other, the drinking vessels which drew lessons from the structure of Bronze Gu was appeared, such as Gu xing zun.In the ending of Yin xu ruins, because the basic function of Bronze Gu degraded and the other drinking devices squeezed, Bronze Gu became feeble. It was replaced by Bronze zhi gradually. In the middle period of Western Zhou, it withdrew from historical stage.