Chapter 10 Chapter Three Bronze Culture of the Western Zhou Dynasty

Compared with the Shang Dynasty, the bronze smelting and casting industry in the Western Zhou Dynasty developed greatly.Archaeologists excavated the early and mid-Western Zhou copper casting sites in Luoyang Beiyao, covering an area of ​​more than 100,000 square meters. They found a large copper-melting shaft furnace made of block adobe, with a diameter of 1.6-1.7 meters.A pottery blowing nozzle was also found, which may have been blown by a leather tuo (tuo camel) at this time.After measuring and analyzing the melting point of the furnace wall, the furnace temperature has reached 1200°C-1250°C.

On the basis of the further improvement of the bronze smelting and casting industry, the bronze wares of the Western Zhou Dynasty, especially the ritual wares, had further development.First of all, due to socio-political reasons, the types of ritual vessels have undergone significant changes.Specifically, in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, the king of Zhou strictly prohibited alcohol in view of the lessons learned by merchants who were addicted to alcohol and subjugated the country.As the "Shangshu·Jiugao" said: "Today, Yin is the only one who has fallen to Jue, and I don't need to be a big supervisor at that time... Group drinking, you don't lose it, just hold it back and return it to Zhou, and kill it!" Therefore, bronze The types and quantity of wine vessels were greatly reduced, especially the drinking vessels jue, jiao, jia, gu, gu, and wine containers zun, you, and fang yi, which were rare after the middle of the western zhou dynasty.At this time, the tripod was the most important bronze ritual vessel. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the system of using the tripod, commonly known as the tripod system, appeared to indicate the status of the user.Ding tripods are odd-numbered tripods with the same shape and decoration, but with decreasing sizes or the same size used by slave owners and nobles in ceremonial activities such as sacrifices, banquets, and funerals.According to the "Chunqiu·Gongyang Biography", He Xiu, a man of the Han Dynasty in the second year of Duke Huan, commented: "For ritual sacrifices, there are nine tripods for emperors, seven princes, five high officials, and three yuan scholars." The meat that each tripod can hold is also regulated, such as "Rituals According to records such as Dowry, the first heyday cow in Jiuding was called Tailao, and the following tripods were sheep, hog, fish, cured (dried meat), intestines and stomach, skin, fresh fish and fresh cured.Qiding is rich in removing the fresh fish and fresh cured at the end, which also belongs to Tailao.Wuding, its first heyday sheep, is called Shaolao.The following order is hog, fish, wax, intestines and stomach (or skin).The three tripods contain hogs, fish, wax or sheep, hogs, and fish, which are called "sacrifices".According to the records in "Rituals·Shi Guanli", a heyday dolphin is used by the first class of scholars and is called "special".Moreover, according to literature records and archaeological discoveries, odd-numbered tripods should be used in conjunction with even-numbered guis.That is, nine tripods are matched with eight gui, seven tripods are matched with six gui, five tripods are matched with four gui, and three tripods are matched with two gui.This kind of nine, seven, five, three, and one tripod is called Zhengding, and there is also Shading (accompanied tripod).Shame Ding is filled with beef, mutton, hog meat and vegetables, and it is a flavorful soup mixed with Gorgon.Judging from archaeological discoveries, the royal tombs of the Western Zhou Dynasty have not yet been discovered.In the 16th year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1890 A.D.), a set of seven pieces of Xiao Ke Ding in the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty was unearthed in Ren Village, Famen Temple, Fufeng, Shaanxi. About to be the king's minister of Zhou, exactly in line with the system of Qiding.Five tripods and four gui were unearthed from the tomb of Bo's wife (son) during the period of King Mu of the Western Zhou Dynasty (bow fish) [yu fish] in Rujiazhuang, Baoji, Shaanxi.Four round tripods were unearthed from the tomb of King Mu of the Western Zhou Dynasty in the Pudu village of Chang'an, Shaanxi Province. They were three tripods for sacrifice and one tripod for shame, as well as two gui tripods.A bronze tripod and a gui were unearthed from Tomb No. 5 in the mid-Western Zhou Dynasty in Hejia Village, Qishan, Shaanxi.These are all proofs of the appearance of the Ding system in the Western Zhou Dynasty.This system of tripods has been used until the Warring States period, and it is the most prominent representative of the ritual system of slave society in ancient China.

In addition, in the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty, new bronze food utensils such as rice paddles and paddles appeared.簠, ancient literature called Hu [hu Hu].Cuboid, which is characterized by the shape and size of the cover and the container are basically the same, and most of them have ears and rectangular feet.It has been popular until the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.盨, the body is rectangular with rounded corners, closed mouth, bulging abdomen, double ears, ring feet or quadrupeds, with a cover.It has not been used for a long time, and it is rare in the early Spring and Autumn Period.In addition, a new water vessel appeared in the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty, which was shaped like a tong, with an oval belly, with a stream in front, a gun in the back, and four or three legs below.It is used to replace 盉, used for watering when washing, and used in conjunction with the plate.匜 has been popular until the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, with ring feet or no feet.

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, bronze musical instruments developed by leaps and bounds, and most importantly, bells began to appear (Fig. 13).This is the product of a certain level of bronze casting technology and music in the Western Zhou Dynasty.A bell is a musical instrument that is suspended and struck (or bumped) with a mallet (or wooden stick), and is the main body of the ancient Chinese music of gold and stone.In terms of shape, the bell with a cylindrical yong on the top is called Yongzhong, which is used for side hanging; the bell with a semi-circular button on the top is called button bell, which is used for straight hanging; The one with a flat mouth is called 镈〔bobo〕, which is also straight hanging.All parts of Yongzhong have proper names.The top of the Yongsong is called Heng, the outer arc of the middle and lower part of the Yongsong is called Xuan, and the knob is called Wo.The top of the bell body is called Wu, the upper part is called Zheng (Zheng Zheng), and the lower part is called Drum.The stalactites of the gong are called pieces, and the ends of the pieces are called Jing.The pattern band between the stalactites is called seal.The central part of the gong is also called gong, and inscriptions are often cast on it.The two corners at the lower end of the drum are called milling, and the middle part is called Yu.The grooves made inside the drum for tuning are called tunnels.The bells hung alone are called special bells; the bells of the same size and hung in groups are called chime bells.For example, in 1954, a group of three chime bells was unearthed from the mid-Western Zhou tomb in Pudu Village, Shaanxi Province; in 1960, a group of eight oak bells in the late Western Zhou Dynasty was unearthed in Fufeng Qijia Village.Generally, each bell can produce two musical tones, one in the center of the drum (positive drum sound), and another sound (side drum sound) in the side (right) drum, most of which are two degrees higher than the positive drum sound, that is, the interval Most of the relationships are minor thirds.For example, the third piece of tusk bell, the sound of the front drum is angle (e), and the sound of the side drum is sign (g).After the appearance of the clock, it prevailed until the Warring States period, and "the sound of the bell and the meal" became a portrayal of the luxurious life of slave owners and nobles.

In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, the shape and decoration of bronze ritual vessels basically followed the style of the late Shang Dynasty. In the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty, they developed and formed the unique style of bronze ritual vessels of the Zhou people.From the modeling point of view, stable and rigorous.For example, most tripods have straight ears, deep bellies, and hoofed feet, and most guis have lids, closed mouths, short flat bellies, and three short feet below the ring feet.The decoration has changed even more, changing from the mysterious and complicated style of the late Shang Dynasty to simple and extensive; the whole body decorative pattern and the main pattern protruding above the ground pattern are rare; the motif of the ornamentation is no longer the mysterious animal face There are not many patterns and Kui patterns, but the curved patterns, ring patterns, heavy ring patterns, and scale patterns composed of thick and wide bands, and generally there is no ground pattern.Although these decorations are developed from mysterious animal patterns, the mysterious meaning has been greatly weakened.These patterns continued to be used until the early Spring and Autumn Period, and some were even later.Specifically speaking, most of the stealing patterns are S-shaped or C-shaped patterns composed of double lines, and there are often eye-shaped patterns in the middle.Ring pattern, with undulating wide band in the middle, filled with angular or mouth-shaped patterns up and down.Double or triple circular patterns are composed of rectangles with a circular arc at one end, mostly arranged in rows from left to right.Scales, like fish scales, mostly overlap up and down to form a pattern.

The biggest change in the bronze ritual vessels in the Western Zhou Dynasty was the high development of inscriptions, which was the heyday of ancient Chinese bronze inscriptions.A large number of long inscriptions appeared, and the longest inscription discovered so far is the Maogong Ding in the late Western Zhou Dynasty, with a length of 499 characters.The reason is that the Zhou people used a small state to conquer the big cities and merchants. In order to consolidate their rule, they had to create public opinion, and they had to use the inscriptions on the ritual vessels to publicize the goodness and destiny of the King of Zhou, Wenzhi and martial arts, as well as the sufferings received by his officials. Favor and rewards have been handed down for a long time, and "children and grandchildren will use it forever" as a certificate and amulet for their official career.In turn, the rich bronze inscriptions greatly strengthened the role of bronze ritual vessels in maintaining the ritual system and maintaining the rule of the slave-owner aristocracy.

The content of inscriptions on bronze wares in the Western Zhou Dynasty is very rich and extensive, including records of major historical events, distribution of feudal lords, rewards of fiefdoms or fields, rewards of people or slaves, trading of people, land transactions, sacrificial ceremonies or ceremonies held by Zhou kings, and training for subordinates. Gaohe extols the ancestors, records the military system of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the conquest of ethnic minorities, legal judgments, business in the Western Zhou Dynasty, etc., providing a large number of first-hand precious materials for the study of the history of the Western Zhou Dynasty, which has very important historical value.Examples are given below.

First, those who record major historical events.For example, in 1976, unearthed in Lingkou, Lintong, Shaanxi Province, the Li Gui from the period of King Wu of the Western Zhou Dynasty was 28 cm high and 22 cm in diameter.There is an inscription of 32 characters cast on the inner bottom of the abdomen: "Wu Zheng Shang, only the Jiazi Dynasty, Sui Ding, Kehunsu had Shang. Xin Wei, Wang Zailan [lan Lan] teacher, gave the right official Li Jin, used as Tan Gong Baozun Yi. "The general idea is that King Wu of Zhou conquered Shang. On the morning of Jiazi Day, when Sui (Ju) star was in the sky (in power), Shang was destroyed overnight.On the day of Xinwei, King Wu was in Lana (Guan) (now Zhengzhou), and rewarded the officials with sharp copper, which was used as a treasure for sacrificing the ancestor Tan Gong.Its significance lies in confirming the ancient documents such as "Shangshu · Mushi", "Yi Zhoushu · World Prisoner", "Guoyu · Zhou Yuxia" and "Historical Records · Yin Benji" about King Wu's defeating Zhou on Jiazi Day, which coincides with the The record of the star in the sky.Chinese scholars further conducted research in combination with astronomy, and determined that King Wu of Zhou defeated Zhou in 1045 BC, and Jiazi Day was March 27, which solved a major problem that had not been resolved for a long time in ancient Chinese history.

Another example is He Zun from the Chengwang period of the Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in Jiacun, Baoji, Shaanxi in 1963, with a height of 38.8 cm and a diameter of 28.8 cm.There are 122 characters of inscriptions cast on the inner bottom of the abdomen.The content is to record the edicts that King Cheng of Zhou gave to Zong Xiaozi (children of the royal family of Zhou King) at a ceremony in the capital of Cheng Zhou (now Luoyang).It said: "Since King Wu conquered the merchants in Dayi, the court told the sky, saying: Yu Qizhai is here in China, and I will be the people of Yi (Xue)." That is, after King Wu of Zhou conquered the merchants, he decided to settle in Luoyang, the middle land. Build for a week to rule the country.The inscription also records that King Cheng inherited the will of King Wu, built Cheng Zhou, and "moved his house to Cheng Zhou".The records in the inscriptions are consistent with the records in ancient documents such as "Yi Zhou Shu·Du Yi Pian", which proves that the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty in the early Western Zhou Dynasty was a major historical event in order to consolidate the rule of the East and even the whole country, which is not only important for the study of the history of Luoyang city. Significance, and the study of the history of the Western Zhou Dynasty is also of great significance.

Another example is the wall panel from the time of King Gong of the Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in Zhuangbai, Fufeng, Shaanxi in 1976.It is 16.2 cm high and 47.3 cm in diameter.There are 284 characters of inscriptions cast on the inner bottom of the abdomen, which systematically describe the main political achievements of the kings of the Western Zhou Dynasty from King Wen to King Gong, providing systematic information for the study of the history of the Western Zhou Dynasty.For example, it is mentioned in it: "King Honglu Zhao widely criticized Chu Jing, but he traveled southward." It can be compared with "Ancient Bamboo Book Chronicles" that "King Zhao attacked Chu Jing in the 16th year, involved Han, Meet big si." Confirm each other.

Second, it records the enfeoffment of princes in the early Western Zhou Dynasty.In the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, "the feudal relatives screened the Zhou Dynasty with Fan." ("Zuo Zhuan·Xi Gong Twenty-Four Years") This was confirmed in the bronze inscriptions.For example, it is said that in 1931, the Situ gui of the Chengwang period (氵yao) of the Western Zhou Dynasty was unearthed in Xin Village, Jun (xunxun) County, Henan Province. "Guangya · Interpretation": "The country is also." This is consistent with the records of ancient documents such as "Historical Records Wei Kangshu's Family", which confirms that when King Cheng of Zhou, Wu Geng, the son of Shang Zhou, rebelled against Zhou, King Cheng sent Duke Zhou to rebel against Zhou again. Conquer Shangyi and kill Wu Geng.Later, in order to consolidate the rule, Kang Shu moved to the former merchant's place between the Yellow River and Qishui as Marquis of Wei to manage the merchant survivors. Another example is the Keyu and Keyu unearthed in 1986 from the Tomb of the Early Western Zhou Dynasty (M1193) in Liulihe, Fangshan, Beijing.The same 43 characters of inscriptions are cast on the inside of the cover and the edge of the mouth of the two vessels, the central content of which is the record of King Zhou "Ling Kehou Yu Yu (Yan)".After research, Ke is the eldest son of Taibao Zhaogong and the first generation of Yanhou.The inscription confirms "Historical Records Yan Zhaogong's Family": "When King Wu of Zhou destroyed Zhou, he named Zhaogong in Beiyan." Zhaogong." And it is confirmed that the ancient city site discovered in Liulihe is the capital of Yan State in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, which is of great significance to the study of the history of Beijing's capital. Another example is the Yi (or Shizu) Houxuan (ZHE) gui from the Kangwang period of the Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in Yandun Mountain, Dantu, Jiangsu in 1954.It is 15.7 cm high and 22.5 cm in diameter.There are more than 120 characters of inscriptions cast on the inner bottom of the abdomen.It is recorded that King Kang changed the title of Marquis of Yu to Yi, and gave the land and the people: "Tin (gift) land: Jue (畎) three hundred □, Jue □ one hundred and twenty, Jue Zhaiyi thirty and five, Jue □ One hundred and forty. Xizaiyi Wangren (lower-level officials of the royal family) □ (ten) and seven surnames, Xizheng Qibo, Juelu (apprentice) □ (thousand) and fifty husbands, Xiyi common people (farmers) six hundred Also □(10) Liufu.” Provided specific information on “granting people and territory” ("Dayu Ding") during the enfeoffment in the early Zhou Dynasty, which can be compared with "Naiming The Duke of Lu, served as Marquis in the east, the mountains and rivers of Xi, and the vassal of Tutian." Reference card. Third, it records those who reward fiefs or fields.For example, the emperor of Zhou Dynasty.The inscription reads: "Only at Xinmao in October and March, the king was on the shore, and he sent Cai to say □." The fief named □ will be rewarded to send.In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the fiefdoms of the officials were called fiefs or food towns, that is, "Book of Rites: Li Yun": "Doctors have harvests to deal with their descendants." Another example is the Yongyu in the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in Lantian, Shaanxi in 1969.The inscription records: "Only at the beginning of the tenth and twelfth year, Ji Dingmao, when Yigong entered, he was ordered by the emperor. The Gong was ordered by Jue, and he gave Shishi Yongjuetian Yinyang Luojiang Sui (and) Shisu father's field." That is, Yigong conveyed respect According to the order of the king, two fields were rewarded to the official Yong: Yinyangluo and the field originally used by the master and lay father.According to the inscription, the master and common father were also present at that time.The Yongyu inscriptions indicate that the king of Zhou has the right to re-grant the land, so it is of great value. Fourth, about rewarding people or slaves and other items.For example, in the early Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, the Great Yu Ding of the Kangwang period of the Western Zhou Dynasty was unearthed in Licun, Qishan, Shaanxi, and is now in the Chinese History Museum.It is 101.9 cm high and 77.8 cm in diameter.There is an inscription of 291 characters cast on the inner wall of the abdomen, which records that Zhou Kangwang rewarded the noble Yu in the 23rd year: "Xiru Bangsi (the official of the state) is the fourth uncle. Horse drivers) as for common people (farmers) six hundred and fifty and nine husbands. Xiyi Division (foreign race) kings and ministers ten and three uncles, and one thousand and fifty husbands." That is, a total of 17 officials were rewarded at one time And 1709 people, a total of 1726 people, the number is amazing. Another example is the Fuzun of Zhou Chengwang unearthed in 1973 from the Liulihe Western Zhou Tomb (M52) in Fangshan, Beijing.The inscription records: "The Marquis of Yan rewards Fumian [mian exempt] clothes, concubines, and shells." Concubines are slaves of men and women, and they can be rewarded together with clothes and shells.It must be pointed out that it is very common and common to describe rewarding ritual vessels, command clothes, chariots and horses, and shellfish in inscriptions on bronze wares of the Western Zhou Dynasty, so I will not repeat them here. Fifth, about buying and selling people and their prices.There is a lack of records about the price of ancient population transactions in ancient Chinese literature, but the inscriptions on the tripod in the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in Shaanxi in the Qing Dynasty provide us with the only information so far.This is: "Since I redeemed (bought) your five (yu) fathers, I used a horse to bind silk... use (up (left) and right) and lower shells) (weighing currency in metal), and I redeemed five husbands, and used One hundred 锾 [huan ring].” That is to say, the value of five people (or considered slaves) was initially agreed to add a bundle of silk to a horse, but in the end the transaction was made with a metal weighing currency of one hundred 锾copper.One piece of copper is about 6 taels, and one hundred pieces of copper is about 60 jin.That is to say, the price of a person (or slave) is 20 锾, which is about 12 catties of copper.It shows that in the Western Zhou Dynasty, people (slaves) were far less valuable than cattle and horses, and the status of people (slaves) was even lower than that of cattle and horses. Sixth, about land transactions.For example, the Wei Yu of the third year of King Gong of the Western Zhou Dynasty was unearthed in Dongjia Village, Qishan, Shaanxi in 1975.It is 29 cm high and 20.2 cm in diameter.There are 132 characters of inscriptions cast inside the cover, among which are: "Jubo Shuren took Jinzhang from Qiuwei, cut (price) eighty friends, Juejia (price), and gave (to) ten fields. Ju or (also) ) take two pieces of red amber, two deer (upper flowers and lower 仐) [bai ​​worship] two, (upper flowers and lower 仐) 韐 [ge leather] one, cut 20 friends, and give up three fields." That is, Qiu Wei used a value of 100 shellfish coins Peng's jade and furs were exchanged for Jubo's 13 fields.However, the inscription further mentioned below that this matter had to be reported to Bo Yifu and other ruling ministers for approval, and Boyifu and other ruling ministers would also send officials Situ, Sima, and Sigong to participate in the field delivery.This shows that in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, "Under the world, is it the land of the king, and the shore of the land, is it the king's ministers." ("Book of Songs Xiaoya Beishan"), "There is no vend in the field." )’s state ownership of land had begun to waver in the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and land could be traded among nobles.This is a concrete reflection of the decline of slavery in the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty. Seventh, it describes the sacrificial ceremonies or ceremonies held by the king of Zhou.During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, "the major event of the country lies in sacrifice and Rong" ("Zuo Zhuan Thirteen Years of Cheng Gong").And many of the bronze ritual vessels are sacrificial vessels, so there are a lot of records about sacrificial ceremonies in the inscriptions.For example, the tripod is now in the Guangzhou Museum, and its inscription reads: "Only in May, the king is in □, Chen is in Dingmao, and Wang Fu [di Emperor]. Use the male in the big room, and the king is Zhao Zhao." That is to say, Zhou King Mu held a sacrifice ceremony for his father, King Zhao. There are many bronze inscriptions in the Western Zhou Dynasty that describe the ceremonies of the king of Zhou to his ministers. For example, the song pot in the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty collected by the Chinese History Museum (the other one is now in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan) is 63 cm high, 21.2 cm long at the mouth, and 21.2 cm wide. 16.9 cm.Its inscription said: "Only in May of the third year, after the death of Ba Jiashu, the king was in Zhou Kangzhao Palace. Dan, Wang Ge Dashi, ascended the throne. The prime minister cited You Song and set up the atrium. The king said: "Song, I ordered you to sue the twenty families of Zhou Jia, and the supervisor newly created Jia and used the imperial court. Xiru Xuanyi (zhizhi) is pure, Chishi (绂) Zhuhuang (heng), Luanqi, You 〔tiao〕Le, use things.'Ode to Jishou, wear the order and wear it out, and return to (Na) Jinzhang..." A total of 151 characters, detailing the time, place, process of the order ceremony, and acceptance of the order The orator and the protector, the content of the king's order, and the order's return of jade coins, etc., are more detailed than the ceremony recorded in ancient documents such as "Zuo Zhuan·Xi Gong Twenty-eight Years" .It shows that in the middle and late period of the Western Zhou Dynasty, a complete set of order ceremony system has been formed, which provides important information for the study of the ritual system and official system of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Eighth, it records the instructions of the king of Zhou to his ministers and praises the achievements and virtues of the ancestors.For example, it is said that during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, the Maogong Ding of the Western Zhou Xuanwang period was unearthed in Qishan, Shaanxi Province and is now in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.It is 53.8 cm high and 47.9 cm in diameter.Round, with a bulging abdomen, two straight ears on the mouth, and three hoofed feet under the abdomen.The neck is decorated with a heavy ring pattern and a convex string pattern.There are 499 characters of inscriptions cast inside the vessel, which is the longest inscriptions on ancient Chinese bronzes.Its content records the five edicts that the king of Zhou gave Mao Gong when he ordered Mao Gong in Xi.It mentioned that the society of the Western Zhou Dynasty at that time was "□〔CE book〕□four directions, full of unrest." In order to save the crisis of the Zhou royal family, Mao Gong was required to lead his subordinate officials to work hard in political affairs, not to indulge in wine, and not to insult widows and widows. Strive for the throne.Repeatedly exhorted, worried beyond words.It is similar to "Shangshu Wenhou Zhiming", but it is actually better than "Shangshu". "Book of Rites·Jietong": "The husband's tripod has an inscription, and the inscription is his own inscription, and the self-inscription praises the beauty of his ancestors and shows the future generations." There are a large number of bronze inscriptions in the Western Zhou Dynasty that praise the achievements of their ancestors. content with virtue.For example, the master Wang Ding in the period of King Gong of Zhou, the inscription praised "Pixian Huang's research [gui rail] Gong, Mu Muke's alliance with Jue Xin, and Zhe Jue's virtues. It was used by the former kings, and he was able to gain nothing." Therefore, "used as The emperor studied the tripod, and the teacher hoped that his grandson Yongbao would use it for thousands of years." Ninth, it records the military system of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the conquest of ethnic minorities.In the military system of the Western Zhou Dynasty, there are only six divisions recorded in ancient documents, such as "The Book of Songs Daya Changwu": "Father Taishi Huangfu, I have six divisions." However, judging from the bronze inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty, except for the Six Divisions (also known as In addition to the Sixth Division of the West), there is also the Eighth Division of Chengzhou, or the Eighth Division of Yin.For example, it is said that in 1930, Jixian County, Henan Province, unearthed in Jixian County, Henan Province, was a small minister (訁speed) [cu cu] Gui, and its inscription said: "Bo Maofu conquered Dongyi with the Eighth Master of Yin." Another example is Renjia Village, Fufeng, Shaanxi Province in 1942. The unearthed Yu Ding from the time of King Li of the Western Zhou Dynasty has an inscription saying: "The king ordered the Sixth Division of the West and the Eighth Division of the Yin Dynasty to say: attack the Marquis of Og to control the side." The Western Zhou Dynasty was used as a general term, and the division and the army were the same.According to the official preface of "Zhou Li Xia Guan", each division (army) has 12,500 people. Regarding the record of the Zhou Dynasty’s conquest of ethnic minorities, the most important one is the late Western Zhou Dynasty white plate of Guojizi unearthed by the Sichuan Division of Guo (guo State) in Baoji, Shaanxi Province during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty and now in the Museum of Chinese History.With a height of 40.8 cm, a mouth length of 86 cm, a width of 137.3 cm, and a weight of 215.3 kg, it is the largest bronze plate in ancient China that has been discovered so far.There is an inscription of 111 characters cast on the inner bottom (Fig. 14): "Only at the beginning of the first month of the 10th and 2nd year, Ji Dinghai, Guo Ji Zibai made the treasure plate. Pixian Zibai, a strong warrior in the military, has been in the four directions of Weiwei, and he has cut down the scorpions [xianyun Xianyun] , in Luozhiyang, folded the first five hundred, and interrogated fifty, so it went first. (Zhao Ziyi for Gen) [Yuan Yuan] (Zhao Zi for Gen) Zibai, presented the [Guo Guo] to the king. Wang Kongjiazi Baiyi, Wangge Zhou Temple Xuanxie, feasted. The king said: "Uncle, Kong  has light." Wang Xi rode a horse, and used it to assist the king. Xi used a bow and arrow, and its center. Xi used ax and used it. Conquer the barbarians. Children and grandchildren, there will be no borders for thousands of years." The inscription records that the king of Zhou ordered Guo Jizibai to conquer the ethnic minority Yunyun (the predecessor of the Huns) in the northwest and won the victory.The king of Zhou rewarded and feasted at the Zhou Temple.The whole inscription is mainly composed of four characters, with neat sentence structure, Fang, Yang, Xing, Wang, Xiang, Guang, Wang, Yang, Fang, Jiang, and Yang department rhyme. It is a beautiful prose poem. Tenth, recording legal judgments. "Shangshu Lu Xing": "The five punishments (mo, 劓 [yiyi], 剕 [feifei], Gong, Dabi) belong to three thousand." It is also vividly reflected in the bronze inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty.For example, the (亻zhen) [ying hard] 匜 of the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in Dongjia Village, Qishan, Shaanxi in 1975.It is 20.5 cm high and 31.5 cm long at the end of the stream.The inscription on the vessel and the inscription on the cover form a complete inscription with a total of 157 characters.The content of the inscription is to record a legal judgment. (亻霍)'s subordinate Mu Niu lost the lawsuit with his superior (亻霍) in the five husband disputes. He was initially sentenced to black punishment and a thousand lashes. Later, he was pardoned for 500 lashes. I vowed not to disturb (Qianzhen) again in the future. After (亻震) won the lawsuit, the verdict was cast on this bronze ritual vessel.This is a specific example of the ancient literature: "Everything about the prescription is written in Zongyi, and the small treatise is written in Dantu." ("Zhou Li · Qiu Guan · Si Yue").And it provides specific materials for the study of the laws of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Eleventh, it reflects the business situation in the Western Zhou Dynasty.For example, the Xijia plate unearthed in the Song Dynasty during the period of King Xuan of Zhou.Today only rubbings are handed down, and the whereabouts of the utensils are unknown.There are 133 characters of inscriptions cast on the inner bottom of the abdomen, among which are: "Qi (Nanhuaiyi) Jia (merchant) dare not to say (Shi Zi to change bundle) (Shi Ci) is the market (market), if you dare not order, then That is to punish and attack. It is the only thing that the people of our princes, Jue Jia (merchants), do not go to the market immediately, and do not dare to enter the barbarian (traitor) Jia (trading), and they are also punished." This text shows that the people of the princes in the late Western Zhou Dynasty and Nanhuai Yi The commercial trade among them has been quite developed. The silk, copper and tin rich in Nanhuai and Yi had a great impact on the economy of the Western Zhou Dynasty.Therefore, the royal family of Zhou imposed strict management, requiring merchants from both sides to trade in the designated market managed by the government, otherwise they would be severely punished.Another example is the Lufang Yigai in the period of King Gong of the Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in Liulongzui Village, Qishan, Shaanxi in 1981. The inscription records: "Qi was born in Lu Zhaojia, Xiu, Duoying." This is exactly in line with the situation recorded in ancient documents such as "Historical Records Qi Shijia" that Qi State has attached importance to business since the Taigong.All of the above shows that the commerce in the Western Zhou Dynasty was developed. There is another point worth noting in the content of the bronze inscriptions in the Western Zhou Dynasty, that is, the appearance of "moon phase" (the change of the moon's profit and loss).That is to say, the Zhou people divided a month into four sections, from the first day to the seventh and eighth day were called "Chuji", from the eighth day to the ninth day to the fourteenth and fifth day were called "Jishengba", and on the fifteenth and sixth day The 22nd and 3rd days are called "Ji Wang", and after the 23rd to the end of the month (dark) it is called "Ji Shi Ba" (Wang Guowei's "Life Ba Si Ba Kao", "Guan Tang Ji Lin" Volume 1) . The calligraphy style of the bronze inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty was similar to that of the late Shang Dynasty in the early stage, with a strong style from the beginning to the end.Such as the inscription of the above-mentioned big Yu Ding.In the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty, the shape of the characters is rectangular and regular, the strokes are well-proportioned, the beginning and the end are the same, and the sharpness is not exposed, which is called "Yuzhuti".Such as the inscription on the Guojizi Baipan mentioned above.According to ancient literature records, the 15 chapters of "Shi Zhen" written by Taishi Zhen (zhou Zhou) during the reign of King Xuan of Zhou Dynasty may be in the jade chopsticks style; Xu Shen's "Shuowen Jiezi" in the Eastern Han Dynasty is called Dazhuan, or Zhenwen.