Bronze Age Cowries In Yunnan From The Perspective Of Economics

Cowrie Shells are marine creatures with exquisite appearance,small size,uniform size,abrasion resistance and easy to count.Although they are abundant in the sea,they are especially rare and valuable in inland areas far away from the sea,especially in Yunnan Province,which is located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau."Shang Shu · Pan Geng" records: "This is to have chaos,the same position,are cowrie shells and jade.It can be seen that cowrie shells,like beautiful jade,had a very high status in the eyes of the ancients.According to the existing archaeological data,cowrie shells were used by the ancestors of China since the late Neolithic Age,and reached a climax in Shang and Zhou Dynasties,when the Qin and Han dynasties fell,seashells were gradually abandoned by people.Because of its unique geographical location and geomorphic features,Yunnan has an obvious lag and regional development in the Bronze Age compared with the Central Plains.In Yunnan province,a cowrie shell made of white marble was unearthed at the Gengma Stone Buddha Cave site more than 3,000 years ago,indicating that cultural exchanges between Yunnan and South and Southeast Asia existed long ago.In the Dianchi area,a large number of seashells have been unearthed from the tombs of the Dian Kingdom in the Bronze Age,with the number reaching hundreds of thousands and the weight reaching hundreds of kilograms,showing the characteristics completely opposite to those in the central plains.Many scholars at home and abroad have studied Yunnan Bronze Age cowrie shells.Mr.Lin wenxun even called the Southern Silk Road "The road of cowrie shells " in order to highlight the important position of cowrie shells in the development of Yunnan’s foreign trade.In the past,researches on cowrie shells were mainly focused on the origin,function and beginning of use of cowrie shells.Based on a large number of previous studies,this paper combs the archaeological data of Bronze Age cowrie shells unearthed in Yunnan Province,divides Yunnan province into different regions according to orientation,and makes corresponding analysis and judgment for different regions.In addition,this paper will be based on archaeological materials,from the perspective of economics,combining with the relevant currency in economics and international trade related knowledge,from the Angle of interdisciplinary analysis of Yunnan Bronze Age problem such as the function of the cowrie shells,in the hope of correctly understanding and explains the cowrie shells in more than two thousand years ago in Yunnan,whether have the related functional currency,And what role did it play in the foreign trade that might have existed at that time.Although the cowrie shell is small,through it we can have a glimpse of the luxurious life of the aristocrats of the ancient Dian Kingdom,can explore the social and economic activities of ancient Yunnan ancestors,can study the development of foreign trade in ancient Yunnan......It can be said that cowrie shells are not only bronze ware in Yunnan Bronze Age,but also a valuable key to unlock the history of Yunnan ancestors.