Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T00:57:05.008Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A jade parrot from the tomb of Fu Hao at Yinxu and Liao sacrifices of the Shang Dynasty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2018

Rong Wang*
Affiliation:
Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
Chang-sui Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Science, 19 A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
Ji-gen Tang
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 27 Wangfujing Street, Beijing 100710, P.R. China
*
*Author for correspondence (Email: [email protected])

Abstract

The importance of jade in the burnt offerings of the Shang Dynasty known as ‘Liao sacrifice’ has long been known from documentary evidence, but has yet to be scientifically verified. We present the results of non-destructive analyses of a jade parrot excavated from the tomb of imperial consort Fu Han at Yinxu in Henan Province. Analyses revealed the presence of diopside, an outcome of phase transition from tremolite resulting from heating in antiquity. This provides the first scientific evidence that the Shang Dynasty used jade in Liao sacrifice, and confirms oracle bone inscriptions and later records concerning the ritual.

Type
Research
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beck, R.J. 1981. A new development in understanding the prehistoric usage of nephrite in New Zealand, in Leach, F. & Davison, J. (ed.) Archaeological studies of Pacific stone resources: 21–9. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports.Google Scholar
Belyankin, D.S. & Donskaya, E.V.. 1939. Thermo-optical investigation of actinolite. Academic Science. Union of Socialist Soviet Republics Bullet 1: 95104.Google Scholar
The CPAM of Shanghai. 2000. FUQUANSHAN—report on the excavation of the Neolithic site. Beijing: Cultural Relics.Google Scholar
The CPAM of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology & Guanghan Municipal Bureau of Culture. 1987. Brief excavation report on no. 1 sacrifice pit at Sanxingdui site, Guanghan. Cultural Relics 10: 115 & 97–101.Google Scholar
The CPAM of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology & Guanghan Municipal Bureau of Culture. 1989. Brief excavation report on no. 2 sacrifice pit at Sanxingdui site, Guanghan. Cultural Relics 5: 120 & 97–103.Google Scholar
Deer, W.A., Howie, R.A. & Zussman, J.. 1997. An introduction to the rock-forming minerals (volume 2B). London: Geological Society.Google Scholar
Deng, S.P. 2012. Essence of mountains—the art of jade, in Guo, J.S. (ed.) The characteristics of Chinese art: 172229. Hefei: Huangshan.Google Scholar
Douglas, J.G. 2001. The effect of heat on nephrite and detection of heated Chinese jades by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Conference on archaic jades across the Taiwan Strait: 543–54. Taipei: Taiwan University Publications Committee.Google Scholar
Fang, X.M. 2014. The history of Chinese jade (southern China during Neolithic period). Shenzhen: Haitian.Google Scholar
Gillespie, A.R., Jr, F.E.B. & Abbott, E.A.. 1989. Verification of prehistoric campfires by 40Ar-39Ar analysis of fire-baked stones. Journal of Archaeological Science 16: 271–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4403(89)90006-XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
He, H.B. 2007. Yu protocol of pre-Qin Dynasty. Beijing: Thread-Binding Books.Google Scholar
Hu, H.X. 1999. Oracle bone scripts collection. Beijing: Zhong Hua Book Company.Google Scholar
Huang, X.P. 2005. The whitening of Liangzhu jades. The Bulletin of the Shanghai Museum 10: 357–64.Google Scholar
Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 1980. Yinxu tomb of Fu Hao. Beijing: Cultural Relics.Google Scholar
Jin, Z.C., Xu, G.D., He, Y.L. & Tang, J.G.. 2007. A geoarchaeological study on the excavated jades from the tomb of M54, in Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (ed.) Report on the excavations at Huayuanzhuang locus east in Anyang: 345–87. Beijing: Science.Google Scholar
Ke, H.Y. & Gong, Z.P.. 2011. Fundamentals of electromagnetic fields theory. Beijing: Posts & Telecom.Google Scholar
Nanjing Museum. 1984. Excavation of Sidun site in Wujin, Changhzou City in Jiangsu Province. Archaeology 2: 109–29.Google Scholar
Nanjing Museum. 1991. Archaeological achievements of Jiangsu Province in the past decade. A decade of cultural heritage and archaeology (1979–1989): 101–15. Beijing: Cultural Relics.Google Scholar
Peng, W.S. & Liu, G.K.. 1982. Infrared spectra for minerals. Beijing: Science.Google Scholar
Prencipe, M., Mantovani, L., Tribaudino, M., Bersani, D. & Lottici, P.P.. 2012. The Raman spectrum of diopside: a comparison between ab initio calculated and experimentally measured frequencies. European Journal of Mineralogy 24: 457–64. https://doi.org/10.1127/0935-1221/2012/0024-2178Google Scholar
Rinaudo, C., Belluso, E. & Gastaldi, D.. 2004. Assessment of the use of Raman spectroscopy for the determination of amphibole asbestos. Mineralogical Magazine 68: 455–65. https://doi.org/10.1180/0026461046830197Google Scholar
Shi, J.S. 2004. Re-examination of the object pits at Sanxingdui, Guanghan. Acta Archaeologica Sinica 2: 157–82.Google Scholar
Tan, L.P., Lee, C.W., Chen, C.C., Tien, P.L., Tsui, P.C. & Yui, T.F.. 1978. A mineralogical study of the Fengtien nephrite deposits of Hualien, Taiwan. Taipei: National Science Council Special Publication.Google Scholar
Tan, L.P., Qian, X.H., Lin, S.B., Tang, H.M. & Yu, B.S.. 1998. Soak-induced colour of archaic jades. Chinese archaic jades: carving techniques and mineral identification: 147–60. Taipei: The Earth.Google Scholar
Wang, D., Xu, Z.B., Sun, M. & Cao, S.M.. 2009. Study on the IR spectrum of jasper of different origin. Infrared Technology 31: 698701.Google Scholar
Wang, R. 2011. Progress review of the scientific study of Chinese ancient jade. Archaeometry 53: 674–92. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4754.2010.00564.xGoogle Scholar
Wang, R. 2017. Study review on whitening mechanism of excavated nephrite jade artifacts in China. Sciences of Conservation and Archaeology 29 (4): 88100.Google Scholar
Wang, R. & Zhang, B.M.. 2010. Raman spectra for pyroxene. Spectroscopy and Spectra Analysis 30: 376–81.Google Scholar
Wen, G. 1994. Archaic jades (8): archaic jades of chicken-bone white and ivory-white. The National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art 12 (2): 116–29.Google Scholar
Yu, B.S. & Tan, L.P.. 1998. Archaized experiment on nephrite and serpentine, in Chinese archaic jades: carving techniques and mineral identification: 173–81. Taipei: The Earth.Google Scholar
Yu, B.S., Liu, J.L. & Huang, K.Z.. 2006. Archaized experiment on nephrite through heat treatment and the Raman spectra. The Eighth Symposium on Resources and Environment: 5564. Taiwan: Hualian.Google Scholar
Yu, Y.J. & Fang, G.. 2014. The history of Chinese jade (Xia and Shang Dynasty). Shenzhen: Haitian.Google Scholar
Zhang, Y.N. 2011. The study on fake methods of white soak-induced color of ancient jade. Unpublished MA dissertation, China University of Geosciences.Google Scholar
Zhao, H.X., Li, Q.H., Liu, S., Hu, Y.Q. & Gan, F.X.. 2014. Non-destructive analysis of jade artifacts from the cemetery of the Ying State in Henan Province, China, using confocal Raman microspectroscopy and portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 45: 173–78. https://doi.org/10.1002/jrs.4435CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zheng, J. 1996. An appraisal report of the Liang Zhu culture jade articles unearthed from Sidun relics. The light of Oriental civilization: collection of papers for the 60th anniversary of the Liangzhu culture finding (1936–1996): 432–41. Haikuo: Hainan International Publishing Center.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Wang et al. supplementary material

Wang et al. supplementary material 1

Download Wang et al. supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 332.6 KB