| The oath of alliance refers to people with common religious beliefs who,in order to safeguard their common interests or resolve conflicts,make an oath in front of the gods through certain ceremonies,in order to pray for the protection of the gods,accept the supervision of the gods,fulfil their respective rights and obligations,and acknowledge that the apostasy will be punished by the gods.Therefore,the core of the oath is theocracy,based on common religious beliefs.According to the literature,the oath of alliance originated in Xia and Shang Dynasty or even earlier,and it was very frequent in Zhou Dynasty.The oath of alliance is a very common phenomenon in the social life of Zhou Dynasty,which is widely used in many fields such as politics,economy,military,diplomacy and so on.The alliance oath of Zhou Dynasty usually occurred between kings and princes,between princes and princes,between princes and princes,between princes and princes,between princes and state officials,and among nationals.It played an important role in resolving international disputes and internal contradictions among princes.In the Zhou Dynasty,where the legal system was not perfect,the power of religious belief was strong,and people often resorted to theocracy to resolve disputes,which was the fundamental reason for the prevalence of alliance vows in the Zhou Dynasty.There are abundant records about the oath of alliance in the handed-down documents of the Zhou Dynasty.Most of the existing studies are based on the handed-down documents to verify the origin,procedures,types,characteristics,functions,languages,styles and ideological connotations of the oath of alliance.The research on the oath of alliance system is also comprehensive.This paper mainly discusses the characteristics and development of the pledge of alliance in the Zhou Dynasty from the relevant archaeological excavation data,combined with the records of the handed down literature,focusing on empirical research.These archaeological excavations include the alliance of jade fragments,bronze inscriptions and pledge sites.The Western Zhou Dynasty pledged steady development.In the process of destroying commerce and building Zhou Dynasty,King Wu of Zhou gathered people through three wars to mobilize alliances,stimulated combat effectiveness,and made full ideological preparations for the victory of the war.In the early Western Zhou Dynasty,with the implementation of the patriarchal feudalism,a social and political system with strict hierarchy was established.The Zhou royal family was at the upper level of this hierarchical structure.Zhou Tianzi and the royal family firmly controlled the sovereign and allied power,and the pledge of alliance became an effective means of maintaining political rule.In the mid and late Western Zhou Dynasty,economic disputes increased in society.The oath of alliance was used to deal with litigation judgments,which is equivalent to the legal provisions of later generations.These oaths of alliance in litigation were mostly found in bronze inscriptions.Therefore,the types of oath of alliance in the Western Zhou Dynasty include the oath of war mobilization in the process of the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty,the oath of dividing the constitutions in the early Western Zhou Dynasty and the oath of litigation judgment in the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty.Through continuous development,the oath of alliance began to form a set of strict and complex procedures in the Western Zhou Dynasty,gradually systematized and institutionalized.During the Spring and Autumn Period,the oath of alliance entered its peak.No matter in the number of pledges,the number of participants or the social influence,they are far more than the Western Zhou Dynasty.After Pingwang moved eastward,the royal family declined,the princes joined and the power declined.Sovereign alliance,originally the Royal privilege,began to spread downward,and the people below the princes tended to take the oath of membership.The use of the oath of alliance has been expanding,not only to maintain the rule of the Zhou Royal family,but also to mediate the contradictions between the princes and the different classes within the princes.Therefore,the oath of alliance activities are very frequent.In the early Spring and Autumn Period,there were free alliances among the princes;in the period of Emperor Huan of Qi and Emperor Wengong of Jin Dynasty,the sovereign alliance realized the control of the princes under heaven;in the mid and late Spring and Autumn Period,the princes were in power in the state,mediating international disputes and domestic contradictions.Especially in the political struggle for power and profit within the princes,the vows are frequently used.Houma and Wenxian are the representatives of such vows.There are also some personal vows in the Spring and Autumn Golden Articles.During the Spring and Autumn Period,the oath of alliance was mainly related to military war and was guaranteed by force.Significant changes have taken place in the identity of the main allies and their identity has been declining,from the Son of Heaven to the princes and then to the princes and doctors.The alliance between Yidi and Zhuxia broke through the defense of Yixia.In the oath of alliance,the concept of honesty and credit decreased,and the phenomenon of alliance betrayal was frequent.The oath of alliance began to decline in the late Spring and Autumn Period.During the Warring States Period,the mainstream of society was reform and wars among nations.Under the turbulent political situation,social order became more chaotic.The new landlord class put its main energy on reform and striving for strength,advocating economic strength and force,instead of simply believing in divine power.With the decline of theocracy and the loss of patriarchal moral consciousness,the oath gradually lost its binding force and was replaced by a more enforceable statute law.The oath of alliance during the Warring States Period was rare in the handed down literature,and there was no relevant archaeological data.The oath of alliance gradually withdrew from the historical stage.The oath of alliance is a major social activity in the Zhou Dynasty,which deeply reflects various changes in the social system,mainly in the political,economic,military and ideological fields.During the Western Zhou Dynasty,patriarchal feudalism was practised politically,well field system was adopted economically,and strict etiquette system and patriarchal ethics were followed ideologically.Zhou Tianzi could effectively control and manage the world’s princes,with fewer wars and relatively stable political situation.Under this situation,the oath of alliance in the Western Zhou Dynasty was in a period of stable development,mainly used for dividing feudal orders and mediating economic disputes.During the Spring and Autumn Period,the royal family declined,Zhou Tianzi gradually lost the authority of commanding the world,the original patriarchal political system began to shake,the regime continued to move down,the sovereign alliance power also moved down,the identity of the main allies continued to decline,from Zhou Tianzi to the princes and then to the Qing Doctors,the scope of the Allies became wider and wider,and the use of alliance vows became more frequent.In the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period,with the shaking of the minefield system,the economic status of all strata changed.First,the princes joined forces to fight for hegemony,and then the powerful ministers took power in the country.The merger war between the princes and doctors continued.In this case,the oath of alliance is widely used to mediate the contradictions among all sectors of society.Therefore,the oath of alliance in the Spring and Autumn Period entered its peak period.During the Warring States Period,both the patriarchal feudalism and the minefield system collapsed,the wars of hegemony among the nations continued,and the political situation became more turbulent.In order to survive and develop,the new landlord classes in various countries pay attention to enriching the country,strengthening the army and reforming the reform.During the reform movement,they gradually formulated the statute law,and realized that severe punishment law is more effective than the curse of God’s Covenant.The statute law is more suitable for the maintenance of centralization.With the further collapse of the original patriarchal ethics,people no longer believe in the gods in the Covenant Oath.Strength,but more realistic interests,economic strength and military strength,the oath gradually declined.Overall,the oath of alliance played an important role in the progress of the society in the Zhou Dynasty.It maintained the political order,mediated the contradictions of war,promoted the national integration,and promoted the development of economy and culture. |
