A Study Of The Couches As Burial Objects Unearthed From The Tombs In The Eastern Jin And Southern Dynasties In Nanjing Area

Since the 1970s,the couches as burial objects have been often unearthed from the tombs in the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties in Nanjing area.But their names are different in the excavation reports,and this information has not been detailed for a long time.Therefore,this paper finds out the identification,classification and staging of-these couches firstly.Based on this,we will discuss the evolution of the structure of the couches from the Han and Jin Dynasties to the Southern and Northern Dynasties,and the questions on the identities ’of graves and the burial,in order to deepen our understanding of the couch and related problems.In addition to the introduction and conclusion,the thesis is divided into four chapters:The first chapter is about the identification,classification and staging of these couches from the tombs in the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties in Nanjing area.The first section ensures that there are 13 couches made by pottery or stone discovered unearthed from the tombs in the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties in Nanjing area.The second section uses the typological research to divide these couches into two types:Type A is the couch without surrounded screen,Type B is the couch with surrounded screen.Two types correspond with two phases of the evolution of the structure of the couches:the Eastern Jin Dynasty-Song in Southern Dynasty,and Qi-Chen in Southern Dynasty.On the basis of the above observation,the second chapter discusses the related problems of the development of the structure of the couches in the Han and Jin Dynasties and the Northern and Southern Dynasties.The first section ensures that the structure of the couches in Jin Dynasty continue the tradition of the Han Dynasty.In fact,the surrounded screen was placed on the surface of the couch or around the couch outside in this time,not embedded in the couch,as the mural and the portrait stone in Han tombs show.The second section points out that,the couch with surrounded screen appeared as a new form of the couch in the Southern and Northern Dynasties through the study of literature and relics,while the screen also evolved into a foldable multi-fan vertical form.The differences between the northern high-footed bed and the southern low-lying couch reflect the cultural differences between the Han and the nomadic peoples.The third chapter shows that the tombs in the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties in Nanjing area with the discovery of the couch,narrow table,armrest and curtain seat as the burial furniture,link with the high identities of the owners.The Eastern Jin tomb in the north park of Nanjing University has the highest level among these tombs.The identities of the owners are related to the couch,narrow table and brick table used as sacrificial alters in the tomb.The owners of the tombs with brick tables were not common people,but the identity span was wide,and the level varied.The forth chapter discusses the function of the couch in the burial.As the burial objects,the couch and other furniture continue the previous household life and honor of owners after burial.Compared with the late Eastern Han Dynasty,the structure of the brick tombs in the Six Dynasties tended to be simplified,and the proportion of the sacrificial space in the tomb was increased.As the facilities for the ritual activities,the importance of the couch and the brick alter were gradually highlighted.Combining with armrest and narrow table,the couch and brick table act as the material symbol of the owners’ souls in sacrificial activities.