Study On The Tomb Forms Of The Early Western Zhou Dynasty In Jingwei Area

Jingwei area mainly includes the present Guanzhong(关中)area and Longdong(陇东)area,where lays the Feng Hao(丰镐)and Zhouyuan(周原)sites,the core capitals of the Western Zhou Dynasty,and which is the gateway to the northwest of the Western Zhou Dynasty.More than one thousand tombs of the Western Zhou Dynasty have been found in Jingwei area over the years,which is an excellent material for studying the society of the Western Zhou Dynasty.The early Western Zhou Dynasty was an archeological term for the rule of the four Kings of the Western Zhou Dynasty:King Wu(武王),King Cheng(成王),King Kang(康王),and King Zhao(昭王).As we all know,the rule of the"four kings of the early Zhou Dynasty"inherited the rulr of"Yin Shang"(殷商)period and initiated the rule of"Mu Gong"(穆共)period,which was a critical stage of the reform of the Yin and Zhou Dynasties.By studying of the early Western Zhou tombs in Jingwei area,we can observe the characteristics and historical significance of the burial customs in the transformation stage.This paper is divided into two parts.The first part is the study of the form of the tomb.According to the hierarchical structure of tomb space,the early Western Zhou tombs in Jingwei area were deconstructed.From outside to inside,six aspects and ten contents were analyzed: the external structure of the tombs includes sloped passages to the tombs,T-shaped tombs and double chamber tombs,the structure of the tombs includes vertical earthen tombs and tombs with a cave,the facilities in the tombs includes niches,waist pits and two-story platforms,burial equipment,burial style and the placement of funerary objects.The second part is the study of the tomb hierarchy.Based on the classification and statistical results of the use of funerary equipment in the early Western Zhou Dynasty in Jingwei area,the standard of funerary equipment,tomb area and funerary objects are adopted to classify tomb hierarchy in the early Western Zhou Dynasty in Jingwei area.After the discussion of the above two parts,this paper mainly draws the following conclusions:First,Although Jingwei area can be divided into four relatively closed regions according to geographical units,the funeral culture in each region is intertwined,each has its own emphasis,is not unique,and has not formed a cultural division.Second,the tombs of the early Western Zhou Dynasty in the Jingwei area have a clear hierarchy.The tombs of different levels are obvious different in burial equipment,burial chamber area and burial bronze wares.There may be subtle differences between tombs of the same level due to different wealth and identity.Third,the evolution patterns of burial customs reflected by the early Western Zhou tombs in Jingwei area can be divided into three types: continuation,hybridization and innovation.The three patterns are different,which reveals the complexity and diversity of the social structure in the early Zhou Dynasty.