Research On Unearthed Gui From The Chu Tombs

As an important part of Chu culture,the Chu tombs witnesses to a certain extent the development and changes of the society of Chu State in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.Since the 1930 s,more than 10,000 tombs of Chu have been excavated.A large number of rich physical remains have been unearthed in many excavated Chu tombs.Among them,Gui is a very important type of unearthed relic from the Chu tombs.As one of the important food utensils in the Zhou Dynasty,the Gui was also an indispensable ritual utensil in life at that time.In Chu tombs,differences in the presence or absence of burial Gui,the number of burial Gui,the material of burial Gui,and the shape of burial Gui not only directly reflect the identity of the tombs owner and the grade of the tombs,but also reflect the development of the tombs culture in Chu State.According to incomplete statistics,at least 203 pieces of Gui were unearthed from Chu tombs in the currently published materials,and the materials include copper,pottery,tin,and lacquer wood.The period of unearthed Gui in Chu tombs spanned nearly 450 years from the mid-Spring and Autumn period to the late Warring States period.The geographical scope of the unearthed Gui in Chu tombs is relatively wide,mainly involving Hubei,Hunan,Henan,Anhui and other places.The identities of the tombs owners of the unearthed Gui from the Chu tombs vary greatly,ranging from the tombs of the low-level civilians and shi to the high-level shang da fu and the tombs of the kings of Chu,all have found.In addition,the shapes and materials of unearthed Gui in different grades of Chu tombs are also different.Among them,the square-shaped bronze Gui is unearthed in the Chu tombs of da fu and above are more;the ring-footed bronze Gui is rarely unearthed in Chu tombs of yuan shi and the people below;the bronze Gui with feet attached is generally more common in Chu tombs of the rank of da fu and above;the ring-footed pottery Gui is commonly found in the tombs of the shi level and below;the square-shaped pottery Gui is more common in the tombs of the yuan shi and above.The above historical information revealed by the unearthed Gui in Chu tombs is not only the externalized expression of Chu culture but also showing some of the funeral concepts of the Chu people.Therefore,further research on the unearthed Gui from Chu tombs is of great significance for exploring the social life history of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty,especially the tomb culture.This article firstly summarizes the general situation of unearthed Gui in Chu tombs,and introduces the situation of unearthed Gui tombs in various places so far according to the time of archaeological excavation.Secondly,the archaeological typology analysis of the unearthed Gui from the tombs of Chu,and then revealed the shape characteristics and development and evolution of the Gui in Chu tombs in different periods.Thirdly,the archaeological and cultural characteristics of the unearthed Gui in Chu tombs are analyzed from three aspects: era,region and grade.Then,it explores and analyzes the development and changes of the characteristics of the unearthed Gui from the tombs of Chu,combined with the historical development of the state of Chu.Finally,the full text is summarized.