英文摘要 |
Using geometrical impressed pottery as a center for discussion, this paper re-examines archaeological research done on cultural relics found along the lower reaches of the Min River in Fujian Province which date from the Neolithic Age, Bronze Age, and the initial stage of the Iron Age. The geometrical impressed pottery of each period evinces clear stylistic changes, especially in the type of pottery as well as the decorations impressed upon it. As a cultural relic, the geometrical impressed pottery of the lower reaches of the Min River signifies the growth, change, and decline of various cultures. More research is needed to verify the validity of archaeological research on geometrical impressed pottery, but the following observations may be made: The origin of geometrical impressed pottery along the downstream regions of the Min River can be traced back to the Tan-shih-shan cultural period of the Neolithic Age. Geometrical impressed pottery flourished in the ensuing period known as the Chuang-bien-shan upper strata cultural period. The stylistic components of pottery from the Chuang-bien-shan upper strata period actually emerged from the foundations laid by the Tan-shih-shan period and noticeably retained many cultural elements of the latter. However, during the Chuang-bien-shan upper strata cultural period, painted decorations extremely similar to the geometrical impressed decorations began to appear on pottery, and the cloud-thunder impressed decoration emerged as a novel stylistic form. While a few examples point to the introduction of new stylistic elements and foreign stimuli, the geometrical impressed pottery and painted pottery of the Chuang-bian-shan upper strata cultural period found along the downstream regions of the Min River mainly evolved from the native Tan-shih-shan culture. In the ensuing Huang-tu-lung period, some pottery styles of the Tan-shih-shan culture and Chuang-bien-shan upper strata culture were still being produced; however, a noticeable reduction in the proportion of pottery displaying the traditional pottery style and geometrical impressed decorations could be detected. During the Huang-tu-lung period, the grid decorations and the newly emerging complex cloud-thunder impressed decorations evolved to become the main stylistic form. During the Huang-tu-lung period, the traditional geometrical impressed decoration became less common, which may be interpreted as a visible sign of native cultural decline since the Tan-shih-shan and Chuang-bien-shan upper strata periods. In the following Min-viet culture period, the key stylistic elements of the Tan-shih-shan and Chuang-bien-shan upper strata culture virtually vanished away, and the grid impressed decoration emerged as the main form of decoration. The cloud thunder impressed decoration as a style nearly disappeared, and the native culture was increasingly replaced by foreign cultural elements. Although the grid impressed decoration continued to appear on pottery from the Tan-shih-shan period to the Han Dynasty, it is important to note that the grid impressed decorations themselves varied throughout different periods. Considerable differences may be observed in the size of the grid, the thickness of the grid lines, and the depth of the grid impressed decorations, depending on the period in which the piece of pottery was made. Moreover, grid impressed decorations on pottery are found in virtually every province in southeast China. All of this archaeological evidence points to the uncertainty of the cultural origins of the grid impressed decorations found on the pottery of the Eastern Zhou and Han Dynasties along the lower reaches of the Min River. Further research is necessary to ascertain whether the grid impressed decorations on the pottery of the Eastern Zhou and Han Dynasties originated from the Tan-shih-shan culture, or instead constituted a new element introduced by a foreign culture. |