Fig. 1 Stepmother Xin Fangding and the inscription 80.1 high, 64 cm long, 48 cm wide and 128 kg in weight Collection of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Yinxu bronzes are cultural treasures and occupy an important position in the history of the development of Chinese bronzes. The bronze tripod, as a representative of the bronze ritual vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, has even become a symbol of social science and state power. According to the shape, the Shang and Zhou bronze tripods can be divided into two categories: three-legged round tripods and four-legged square tripods. The basic characteristics of the bronze square tripod are that the body is square or rectangular, four-legged, and both ears of the square tripod stand symmetrically in the longitudinal direction of the tripod, that is, on the edge of the mouth on one side of the short side, only a few stand on the edge of the transverse mouth, one side of the long side. What was the name of the bronze square tripod in the Shang Dynasty, there has not yet been a record of the proper name. According to its physical characteristics, it is called "Fang Ding". In comparison, the number of square tripods found in archaeology is much less than that of round tripods. This paper collects the bronze tripods unearthed from the archaeology of Yinxu over the years, and selects the typical square tripods of various types for appreciation.
1. Overview of the discovery and research of the bronze square tripod in Yinxu
The earliest bronze square tripod of the era was found in the site of Zhengzhou Mall in the early Shang period, and a total of 3 bronze cellar pits have been discovered, and 8 bronze square tripods have been unearthed. They have similar shapes and similar ornaments. The edges of the mouth are nearly square, square bucket-shaped abdomen, 4 nearly cylindrical hollow feet, decorated with milk nail pattern and animal face pattern, the height is more than 59 cm, and the weight is more than 20 kg. By the end of 2023, a total of 34 bronze square tripods have been unearthed through archaeological excavations at the Yinxu site in the late Shang period, which have been unearthed in 19 tombs. Most of these fangding have clear unearthed units and stratigraphic relationships, and most of the tomb shapes and artifact combinations are also complete, which have extremely high archaeological research value, historical value and artistic value. In addition, there are many bronze square tripods excavated from Yin Ruins during the war and scattered in museums and collection institutions at home and abroad, and their archaeological information is seriously lacking, which is not included in this article.
The number of sets of Yao and Jue in the bronze ritual vessels of the Shang Dynasty is an important basis for judging the status of the tomb owner. The bronze ritual vessels of Yinxu are decorated with complicated ornaments, and the layout is rigorous, and most of them have main patterns and ground patterns. Common ornaments can be roughly divided into two categories: animal patterns and geometric patterns. Animal patterns are commonly found in animal face patterns, crest patterns, bird patterns and cicada patterns. Among them, the animal face pattern, which used to be often called the "gluttonous pattern", is the largest proportion, the longest time span, and the most types of ornaments on the bronze ritual vessels of Yinxu. After long-term research and repeated tests of archaeological excavations, at present, the academic community basically recognizes the staging method of the first to fourth phases of Yinxu culture. With the continuous enrichment of materials, there are more and more standard vessels that can be used for periodization, and the periodization system of Yinxu bronze ritual vessels is more scientific and perfect. In this paper, the age division of the bronze Fangding is basically based on the periodization standard of the book "Research on Yinxu Bronze Ritual Vessels", and the Yinxu bronze ritual vessels are divided into four periods, and the second and third phases are divided into early and late periods, that is, the fourth period and six sections. The bronze square tripod unearthed in Yinxu began to appear in the late second period, but the shape is different from that of the Zhengzhou Mall period, and the long side is obviously larger than the short side. After that, the Yinxu bronze square tripod basically continued the style of this cuboid, and evolved according to the times in terms of size and decoration. In the meantime, there are occasional special types such as the square tripod with a flat foot and the square tripod with a lid with rounded corners.
Fig. 2 The stepmother Wu Fangding and its inscription are 133 high, 110 cm long, 79 cm wide, and 832.84 kg in weight, collected by the National Museum of China
Second, the archaeological excavation of Yinxu site bronze square tripod appreciation
In this paper, the bronze square tripod unearthed in Yinxu is divided into three categories: large, medium and small, and is arranged according to the age of each tomb in the morning and evening, and the representative square tripod is selected for appreciation. In the Yinxu period, a tomb is generally buried with the same type of Fang Ding, a tomb with two types of Fang Ding are Huadong M54, 1982 Xiaotun M1, 1987 Guojiazhuang M1, a tomb with three types of Fang Ding only 1976 Xiaotun M5 (women's good tomb).
(1) Large-scale square tripod
Large square tripod is more than 50 centimeters high, the number is small, Yinxu site found a total of 5 pieces of bronze large square tripod, unearthed in 3 tombs respectively, the tomb owner is the king of Shang or his spouse, the specification of the tripod is the highest, for the large royal heavy weapon.
1. Stepmother Xin Fangding
In 1976, Xiaotun M5 (women's good tomb) was unearthed. The owner of the tomb is one of the legal spouses of the Shang king Wuding, and the temple is called "Xin". The tomb unearthed a pair of mother Xin Fangding, this is one (M5: 789), rectangular mouth, folded along the square lip, square ears, the lower abdomen is slightly closed, flat bottom, 4 cylindrical hollow feet. The four sides of the mouth and the four corners of the mouth are decorated with a group of animal face patterns composed of pairs, which is a double body style. The face of the beast is based on the rib as the nose bridge, the "eye" zigzag eye, the round eye is protruding, the cloud-like horn, the straight body, the vertical tail, the tip of the tail is folded down and rolled inward, and the ground is lined with cloud and thunder patterns; The four sides of the abdomen are decorated with three rows of neatly arranged nipple nails on the left and right sides and the lower side; The middle part of the abdomen is rectangular white ground. The upper end of the foot is decorated with an independent animal face pattern, with a head without a body, with a short rib as the nose bridge, a large cloud-like horn, a "eye" shaped eye, a prominent round eye, a round pupil, a wide mouth of fangs, and a convex string pattern under it for three weeks. The outer wall of the ear is plain. In the middle of the inner wall of the long side of the mouth, there is an inscription "Houmu Xin", Yin inscription. It has a height of 80.1, a mouth length of 64 cm, a width of 48 cm, and a weight of 128 kg (Figure 1). The tripod shape is regular, solemn and generous, the ornamentation is clear, sparse and dense, it is a royal heavy weapon, and it is also the standard instrument of the second phase of Yinxu.
2. Stepmother Wu Fang Ding
In 1939, it was excavated by military attache villagers in a large tomb in the eastern area of the Yinxu Tomb.
In September 1984, a formal archaeological excavation was carried out on the tomb of Wu Fangding, which is said to have been born out of the mother Wu Fangding, numbered 1984AWBM260, which is a "A" shaped tomb with a tomb road. After research, it is basically confirmed that the mother Wuding came from this tomb. The tripod is rectangular mouth, folded along the square lip, straight ears, rectangular abdomen, cylindrical foot. Under the mouth, under the abdomen on four sides and four corners each decorated with a group of animal face patterns composed of a pair of pairs, for a double body style, with the rib as the bridge of the nose, the "eye" zigzag eyes, the round eyes protruding, the cloud-like corners, the straight body, the feet stretched forward, the vertical tail, the tip of the tail folded down and rolled in. The upper corner has a animal face pattern, an open mouth, an outer roll of the upper jaw, rounded square eyes, a zigzag pupil, ears next to the eyes, and buffalo-shaped horns. At the lower corner, only the horn part is a cirrus-like horn, and the rest of the features are the same. All are lined with cloud and thunder patterns. The central part is white. The outer wall of the ears is decorated with a tiger devouring human head pattern, and the two sides are decorated with fish patterns. The lower mouth of the ear is decorated with two small buffalo head patterns. The upper end of the foot is decorated with an independent animal face pattern, and the pattern is similar to that of the stepmother Xin Ding. The inner wall of the abdomen is cast with the inscription "Houmu Wu", Yin. It has a height of 133, a mouth length of 110 cm, a width of 79 cm, and a weight of 832.84 kg (Fig. 2). The shape of the Houmu Wufang Ding is huge, the shape is majestic, the craftsmanship is exquisite, the ornamentation is complicated, the layers are distinct, it is the largest and heaviest bronze ware of the Bronze Age found in China so far, and it is also an outstanding work in the world's bronze culture.
Fig. 3 The square tripod and inscription of the woman's flat foot 42.4 height, 33.3 mouth length, 21.5 cm width and 17 kg weight Collection of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
(2) Medium-sized square tripod
It is more than 20 centimeters high, and it is mostly unearthed in 3 sets of bronze tombs above the lord of Yaojue, and it is a tripod for the tombs of middle and high-level nobles.
1. The woman is good and has flat feet
In addition to a pair of stepmother Xin Fang Ding unearthed in the tomb of the woman, there are also 2 pieces of flat-footed square Ding, which are roughly the same in shape, size and ornamentation. This is one (M5:813), folded along the square lip, straight ears, slightly adducted lower abdomen, flat bottom, 4 long flat solid feet. The four corners of the tripod and the center of the four sides are decorated with ribs. The four sides of the belly are decorated with animal face patterns. The animal face is open, the upper jaw is hooked, the "eye" zigzag eye, the round eye is protruding, the pupil is round, there are ears next to the eyes, the cirrus cloud-like horn, the body is short, there are feet, the tail tail is vertically folded and rolled in. The lower tail is decorated with an inverted crest. The main pattern is based on the cloud and thunder pattern. The four-legged flat sheet shape, both sides are decorated with cross lines, the head is facing up, the mouth is open, the "eye" zigzag eyes, the round eyes are protruding, there are pupils, the body tail is long, the body is decorated with scales, and the tip of the tail is folded and rolled in. The outer wall of the ear is decorated with a yin line on the crest, and the head is facing up. The middle of the inner bottom is cast with the inscription "Good woman". It has a height of 42.4 cm, a mouth length of 33.3 cm, a mouth width of 21.5 cm, and a weight of 17 kg (Figure 3). There are many flat-footed round tripods unearthed in Yinxu, and flat-footed square tripods are rare. This tripod has a peculiar shape, tall and handsome, delicate ornamentation, and a strong sense of three-dimensionality.
Fig. 4 Subrectangular tripod and inscription 36.4 in height, 30.9 cm in length, 22.8 cm in width, 12.5 kg in weight Collection of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
2. Sub-rectangular tripod
In 2001, M54 was unearthed in the east of Huayuan Zhuang (Huadong M54: 191). The owner of the tomb belonged to the high-ranking nobles of the "Chang" clan. The tripod has an outward skimming mouth, square lips, two ears erect and slightly outward-skimmed, straight abdomen, flat bottom, 4 solid column feet. An inclined plateau is formed where the upper abdomen meets the neck. There are protruding ribs at the four corners of the neck and abdomen and in the middle of each side, and there are also ribs at the corners of the four pillars and the corners of the neck and abdomen. Among them, the 8 prostodial edges of the neck are 1.6 cm above the body. The neck is decorated with a triangular banana leaf pattern, a total of 18 groups; The abdomen on all sides is decorated with animal face patterns composed of pairs. The beast face is open, the upper jaw is hooked, the "eye" zigzag eye, the round eye is protruding, there are pupils, there are eyebrows on the eyes, there are ears next to the eyes, the "several" zigzag big horn, no body, there are feet, the vertical tail, the tip of the tail is folded down and rolled in. The lower tail is decorated with an inverted crest. The upper part of the foot is decorated with an independent animal face pattern, and the lower part is decorated with four groups of inverted heavy ring triangle patterns. On one side of the wide face, on the inner wall of the neck, there is an inscription "sub-length". The overall height is 36.4, the mouth length is 30.9, the mouth width is 22.8 cm, and the weight is 12.5 kg (Figure 4). The tomb bronze group is the standard ware of the latest stage of the second phase of Yinxu bronzes. The shape of the neck of this square tripod is special, and it is only seen in the scientific excavations of Yinxu.
Fig. 5 Small square tripod with animal face pattern 16.5 height, 12.4 mouth length and 10.4 cm width Collection of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
(3) Small square tripod
The height is less than 20 cm, and most of them are unearthed in 3 sets of tombs below the bronze Yaojue. The identity of the tomb owner is broad, mainly for small and medium-sized nobles, and the small square tripod accompanied by individual high-level tombs such as women's tombs should have special purposes, not the role of the nobles and lowly.
1. Small square tripod with animal face pattern
In 1987, M1 in the southeast of Guojiazhuang in Anyang was unearthed (1987 Guo M1:18). The body is square bucket-shaped, the mouth is large and the bottom is small, the flat edge is extravagant, the ears are straight, the bottom is flat, and the four columns are slender and high. There are shallow ribs at the four corners of the body and the middle of the four walls. The four walls are decorated with the same, the upper part is composed of two ridge patterns of animal face pattern, with the rib as the nose, the lower half is the inverted hanging triangle pattern, and the back pattern is filled in. There is an "X" pattern composed of two convex wide bands on the outside of the bottom. The outside of the column foot is decorated with a yin line and an inverted triangular pattern. The height is 16.5, the length of the mouth is 12.4, and the width is 10.4 cm (Fig. 5). The era belongs to the fourth period of Yinxu bronzes. The lower abdomen is decorated with an inverted triangular pattern, and the square tripod is quite popular in the late stage of the third phase of Yinxu to the fourth period.
2. Sub-small Fangding
In 1987, M1 in the southeast of Guojiazhuang in Anyang was unearthed. The two pieces are paired, with the same shape, size and ornamentation, which is one (1987 Guo M1:19). The body is square bucket-shaped, the mouth is large and the bottom is small, the flat edge is extravagant, the bottom is flat, and the feet are thicker and shorter. The four walls are decorated with the same pattern, no ridges, the upper part is decorated with oblique moire, the middle part is blank, and the lower part and both sides are decorated with two rows of milk nail patterns. The upper part of the foot has a three-week chord pattern. There is a yang pattern on the outer side of the bottom with the word "Asia". Deformed due to extrusion. It is 10 cm high and weighs 0.5 kg (Figure 6). The era belongs to the fourth phase of Yinxu bronzes.
Fig. 6 Sub-small square tripod and inscription 10 cm high 0.5 kg weight Collection of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
III. Conclusion
The large bronze square tripod used by the royal family of Yin Shang is currently found in the second and third phases of Yinxu, with grand shapes and exquisite ornamentation, all of which are royal heavy weapons. The medium and small square tripods of the second and third phases of Yinxu are thick and heavy, dignified in shape, rich in ornamentation, strong in three-dimensionality, and generally cast with inscriptions. Due to factors such as the theft and excavation of the large tombs of the fourth phase of Yinxu, the large bronze square tripod used by the royal family of the fourth phase of Yinxu has not been found, and the number of small and medium-sized square tripods unearthed has increased. Previously, many scholars believed that the Yinxu bronze ritual vessels reached their peak in the second phase of the Yinxu culture, and then declined. However, some scholars believe that the bronze ritual ware in the late Yinxu period did not decline, and it may be because the merchants began to doubt God and ghosts, the religious concept changed, and the production of bronze ritual ware underwent a major change, and continued to develop in the direction of practical ware and Ming ware.
In short, these square tripods unearthed by scientific excavation in Yinxu reflect the superb casting technology and unique aesthetic taste of merchants in the Yinxu period, and the evolution of production technology and ornamental style vividly reflects the development of the times and the change of concepts, and provides valuable material for our scientific research and discussion of the evolution of social culture, etiquette system, religious belief in the Shang Dynasty, as well as the development and reform of bronze casting technology and decorative techniques.
This article was published in the 4th issue of Cultural Relics World in 2024
Author and affiliation: Shen Wenxi, Anyang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Henan Province
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Editor: Zhou Yang
Review: Zhu Wei
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