An Integrated Compilation And Research Of The Armorial Inscriptions On Bronzes Of The Western Zhou Dynasty

The armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty is an important reference material for studying the family form,social organization structure,migration and flow of clan,cultural customs and ethnic integration of the Western Zhou Dynasty.However,due to the scattered materials,the complexity of textual research and the difficulty of dating bronze,there is no comprehensive research on the armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty.In view of this,this paper makes a comprehensive arrangement and research on armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty seen before December 2019,part of which are discussed by 2020,and provides help for the research on the historical issues of the migration,regional distribution,mutual relationship and rise and fall of the clan in the Western Zhou Dynasty.This paper mainly consists of the following parts.In the introduction,the author defines the concept of the armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty clearly to avoid ambiguity,then reviews and summarizes the previous researches on the armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty and points out the achievements and existing problems of the researches on the armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty.On this basis,the author probes into the research methods and puts forward the research significance,innovation and shortcomings of this paper.The first chapter arranges the armorial inscriptions on bronze in the Western Zhou Dynasty according to periods.This chapter mainly arranges armorial inscriptions on bronze in three periods,the first period is the early Western Zhou Dynasty which can be divided into “early Western Zhou Dynasty or late Shang Dynasty” and “early Western Zhou Dynasty”,and the second is the middle Western Zhou Dynasty and the third one is late Western Zhou Dynasty.Then the author classifies and exemplifies the combination of the inscriptions on bronze in different periods,including the names of people,officials,places,bronze ware and the armorial,and points out the basic facts of armorial inscriptions on bronze in the early,middle and late Western Zhou Dynasties.The second chapter arranges the armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty according to the unearthed places.First of all,according to the current administrative divisions,the author sorts out the armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in various provinces and cities of the whole country,points out the general situation of the unearthed armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the history and trace of some important clans.In addition,according to the territory of the Western Zhou Dynasty,the author analyzes the distribution of the armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty in suburbs of the capital of the Shang dynasty and tribes of four territories,and probes into the distribution characteristics of the armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty in the whole country.The third chapter analyzes the changes of the armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the reasons for these changes.First of all,through the establishment of statistical standards,the author sorts out and counts the single armorial inscriptions on bronze and the composite armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty.The number of the single armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty is 2626,and the number of the composite armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty is 582.Secondly,the author classifies and discusses the increase and decrease of the number of the single and composite armorial inscriptions on bronze in different periods of the Western Zhou Dynasty,analyzes the reasons for the changes,and counts of the number of the single and composite armorial inscriptions on bronze in different periods of the Western Zhou Dynasty.Besides,the author discusses the regional distribution of the armorial inscriptions on bronze in the early,middle and late Western Zhou Dynasties,and draws the following conclusions.In the early Western Zhou Dynasty,the armorial inscriptions on bronze were mainly distributed in the central Shaanxi plain,the western,northern,and southeastern part of Henan Province and the western and southern part of Shandong Province;In the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty,the distribution of the armorial inscriptions on bronze were narrowed down to the central Shaanxi plain with Chang’an District,Fufeng County and Weibin District as the core and the western part of Henan Province;In the late Western Zhou dynasty,the distribution of the armorial inscriptions on bronze was further reduced to Famen town of Fufeng County and Mawang town of Chang’an District and other areas in the central Shaanxi plain.Finally,the author puts forward the reasons for the changes in the geographical distribution of the armorial inscriptions on bronze of the Western Zhou Dynasty in different periods.From the fourth period of Yin Dynasty Ruins to the early Western Zhou Dynasty,it is mainly because of the migration of adherents of Yin Dynasty.From the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle Western Zhou Dynasty,it is mainly because of the interaction and integration of Zhou culture and merchant culture.From the middle Western Zhou Dynasty to the late Western Zhou Dynasty,it is mainly because of the influence left by merchant culture.The last part is the summary of this paper,which mainly includes the conclusion,the existing shortcomings,and the direction of future efforts.