再論中國新石器時代晚期玉琮形制與角色之演變

The Evolution of Style and Role of Jade Cong- in the Late Neolithic China - an In-depth Analysis

玉琮在中國新石器時代晚期各區域文化中分佈廣泛，然而不同地區出土的玉琮不僅在形制和裝飾上有所差異，其使用方式也明顯有別，充分反映玉琮及其象徵意涵在不同時空座標中的傳承與變異。本文以良渚文化玉琮之類型與分期脈絡為基礎，除再次梳理中國各地新石器時代晚期遺址出土的玉琮，並逐一比較其形制與功能角色之異同外，亦嘗試以晉陝以及寧甘青地區各文化間之交流為輔助，探討中國北方和西北地區玉琮之淵源關係及其可能發展。整體而言，良渚玉琮不僅在形式風格與裝飾圖像基本體現了一個從萌芽、發展、成熟到簡化等大致完整的發展序列，玉琮的角色也從具有濃厚儀式意味的宗教法器和神權象徵，逐步演化為凝聚跨區域間世俗權力和階級秩序的物質標記。相較之下，在良渚文化以外地區，玉琮不僅出土數量零星、形式單調，使用方式也很不一致，顯示其禮儀意味已相當薄弱。然而到了西元前二千年前後新石器時代末期，在黃河中上游寧南、甘中及其與寧青兩省交界地區，玉琮和玉璧的使用以及其儀式性功能又開始東山再起。此波的發展對於歷史早期玉琮和玉璧在四川地區的局地興盛，極可能扮演了關鍵性的角色。

The jade cong was widely used in China during the late Neolithic period among various cultures, yet they not only differ in form and decor, the ways they were used evidently varied, which fully reveal the inheritance and evolution of jade cong and its symbolic meaning in different time and space axes. Using the typology and developmental stages of jade cong of Liangzhu culture as gauge and starting point, this article once again combed through the excavated jade cong from numerous late Neolithic sites in ancient China. Not only individually comparing and contrasting their styles and functional roles with one another, but also explore the relationship of the origins and developmental trajectories of jade cong in Northern and Northwestern China, based on the cultural exchanges between these two areas. Overall, Liangzhu jade cong not only revealed integrated phases of origination, development, maturation, and simplification through its formal style and iconography, its role have also evolved from ritual implement and theological symbol to material label, which was an adhesive of secular power and hierarchical orders among different regions. In contrast, jade cong were scattered in number, flat in design, and inconsistent in its usage in areas outside of the Liangzhu culture. Its ritualistic role had essentially faded away. Nonetheless, at the end of the Neolithic period around 2000 B.C., the usage of jade cong and jade bi and their ceremonial function rose again in Southern Ningxia, Central Gansu and the border of Ningxia and Qinghai of the upper-middle reach of Yellow River valley. This evolvement has possibly played a crucial role in the prosperity of jade cong and bi of early historical period in the Sichuan region.