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On the “Zunie”

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Published/Copyright: November 16, 2016
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Chinese Archaeology
From the journal Chinese Archaeology Volume 16 Issue 1

Abstract

By interpreting and glossing the inscription on the bronze “zunie” unearthed from the burial of the Spring-and-Autumn Period at Heshangling in Xichuan, Henan, this paper clarified that this kind of bronze objects were actually the “nie” used by the ancient people to survey the height of the sun by measuring the length of its shadow to define the dates of the solstices, testified its nomenclature as “zunie (grand gnomon)” and corrected the mistake made in the academic field in the past to explain it as the stand of the tomb-guardian beast. Meanwhile, based on the researches on the solstice-surveying system and the relevant apparatuses of the pre-Qin period, this paper elucidated the unique view of using objects as metaphor of ethics and virtues, and restored the original tradition of surveying the height of the sun with the gnomons from the Neolithic Age to the Qin and Han Dynasties in China.

Keywords: Astronomy–pre-Qin Period; solstice-surveying system; sundials–history

Postscript

The original paper published in Kaogu 考古 (Archaeology) 2014.8:81–96 was authored by Shi Feng 冯时. This abridged version is prepared by Shi Feng and translated into English by Xiaolei Ding 丁晓雷.

References

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Published Online: 2016-11-16
Published in Print: 2016-11-27

© 2016 by Walter de Gruyter, Inc

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https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2016-0016
Keywords for this article
Astronomy–pre-Qin Period; solstice-surveying system; sundials–history

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. New archaeological discoveries
  3. The excavation of the Mazongshan jade quarry sites in Subei County, Gansu
  4. New archaeological discoveries
  5. The Dabona Cemetery in Xiangyun County, Yunnan
  6. New archaeological discoveries
  7. Gurugyam and Chuvthag Cemeteries in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet
  8. New archaeological discoveries
  9. A mural tomb of the Northern Dynasties at Jiuyuangang in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province
  10. New archaeological discoveries
  11. The Gangga Cemetery in Chen Barag Banner, Inner Mongolia
  12. Spotlight
  13. Neolithic Age of western Tibet: a trans-Himalayan perspective
  14. Spotlight
  15. The Himalayan gold masks from the Eurasian perspective
  16. Spotlight
  17. On the early metal objects and early Metal Age in Tibet
  18. Reports
  19. The burial M90 of Songze Culture at Dongshancun Site in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu
  20. Reports
  21. Survey of the water control system on the periphery of the Liangzhu Ancient City in Hangzhou
  22. Reports
  23. The tombs of burial mound No. 49 of the Han Dynasty at Shangma Hill in Anji County, Zhejiang Province
  24. Reports
  25. The excavation of the mound tombs of the Han Dynasty at Nanping Town, Changde City, Hunan in 2010–2011
  26. Research
  27. On the archaeological culture and related issues
  28. Research
  29. A study on the Neolithic turquoises in China
  30. Research
  31. On the piece mold-casting technology of the bronze gui-tureens in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties
  32. Research
  33. On the “Zunie”
  34. Research
  35. The pattern of archaeological cultures in northern China during the Eastern Zhou Period to the Qin Dynasty – also on the interactions among the Rong, Di and Hu ethnic groups and the Central Plains
  36. Research
  37. On the development of Buddhist sculpture in Ye City and the “Ye City Style” reflected by the Bei Wuzhuang hoard
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