Research On Pottery Wells Excavated In The Tombs Of Han Dynasty In Henan Province

The pottery well models are one of the most commonly-seen funerary objects unearthed in tombs founded in Henan Province, the characteristics of which are large quantities, wide distribution area, and complicated kinds of types. This essay embodies materials of more than 450 pottery wells unearthed in Han tombs within Henan Province. Firstly, researches on pottery wells will be made by the use of typology study. Their popular periods and developments in different ages will also be studied combined with tomb structures, pottery combinations, characters of bronze coins and mirrors. What is more, researches on pottery wells of different areas will be carried out and a systematical result will be made. This essay will have a comparative study with surrounding places, such as northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui, southwestern Shandong, northwestern Hubei, middle Shaanxi, southern Shanxi, southern Hebei, etc. The conclusion is that they are closely related to each other, with more common features than differences compared with those unearthed in northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui, western Shandong, middle Shaanxi and southern Shanxi. And there are more differences than similarities compared to those unearthed in northwestern Hubei and southern Hebei. That is the vivid expression of Han culture developed from multi-elements to unifications. Thirdly, researches on the reason why the pottery wells appeared and declined will be carried out, which is because of the prosperity and declination of the politic and economy, the change of mind which is from the immortality of the soul, filial piety etiquette and "death is to be born" to the import of Buddhism and atheism popularity. Then the relations between the pottery wells and real wells, and the functions of the wells will be researched in this paper by the use the historical and archaeological data. Finally, there is the summary and conclusion, which is the pottery wells are not only the prototype of real wells in life, but also mixing with the exaggeration or artistic processing in Han dynasty. Moreover, people endowed wells with practicability and hopes, so the pottery wells buried with the dead are the reappearances of real life at that time and also condolences to the dead.