Portable lodge from the fifth century BCE: a study of the tent of the Marquis Yi of Zeng
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Changping Zhang
Abstract
A set of bronze parts, excavated in a funeral pit next to the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (Hubei, China), is recently restored to its rightful shape, a hip-roof tent from the fifth century BCE. Measured 10m long and built with 127 wooden poles and 338 bronze parts, it is considered to be the largest and the most complicated tent in pre-imperial China, which is portable, easy to assemble, disassemble, and manufactured in an engineering design context.
Postscript
Research on the engineering of the tent and related three-dimensional modeling were carried out by Wuhan Digital Culture Technology Co., Ltd. The authors also wish to thank Professor Jessica Rawson for reading the paper and offering insightful suggestions.
Appendix table Supplementary material
| Category | Bronze fitting | Image | Excavated quantity | Estimated quantity in reconstruction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three-way join |  |
2 | 2 | |
| Four-way join |  |
2 | 2 | |
| Twisting end (a) |  |
2 | 4 | |
| Twisting end (b) |  |
28 | 30 | |
| Sleeve-related fittings×279 | Key rafter upper end (a) |  |
2 | 2 |
| Key rafter upper end (b) |  |
4 | 4 | |
| Ridge end |  |
6 | 6 | |
| Brace end |  |
7 | 8 | |
| Hip jack upper end |  |
47 | 48 | |
| Lower rafter and end hip for jack common |   |
77 | 78 | |
| Key rafter lower end |   |
10 | 10 | |
| Side fitting |   |
10 | 10 | |
| Sleeve-related | Corner fitting |  |
2 | 4 |
| fittings×279 | Key rafter middle part |  |
8 | 8 |
| Hip rafter middle part |  |
4 | 4 | |
| Common rafter middle part (a) |  |
34 | ||
| Common rafter middle part (b) |  |
34 | 78 | |
| Ring-shaped fitting |  |
28 | 30 | |
| Hook-related | Hook (a) |  |
31 | ? |
| fittings×80 | Hook (b) |  |
18 | ? |
| Hook (c) |  |
3 | ? | |
| Shovel-related | Shovel lower end |  |
18 | 18 |
| fittings×32 | Shovel upper end |  |
14 | 18 |
| Unclassifiable fitting×1 | ? |  |
1 | ? |
Note:
1. The excavated quantity of the bronze fittings is based on the published data in WHU School of History et al. 2017.
2. The estimated quantity of the bronze fittings is based on the published data in Zhang 2019.
3. The bronze fittings listed are only those who involved in the reconstruction process of Marquis Yi’s tent. Other 75 fittings in seven types, including 34 bronze rivets, are not listed.
References
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© 2022 Walter De Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- New archaeological discoveries
- The Excavation of a Neolithic site at Jingtoushan in Yuyao, Zhejiang
- The Neolithic Shuanghuaishu site in Gongyi, Henan
- The Shang dynasty remains at the Guoyuanzui site in Lutai Mountain, Huangpi District, Wuhan
- The Western Zhou Yaoheyuan site in Pengyang County, Ningxia
- Tang remains from the Keyak Khduk Beacon site in Yuli County, Xinjiang
- The excavation of the 2018 Xuewei tomb No. 1 in Reshui cemetery, Dulan County, Qinghai
- Reports
- The 2016–2017 excavation of the bronze foundry zone at the Guanzhuang site, Xingyang, Henan
- The excavation of tomb M12 at Hujiacaochang cemetery in Jingzhou, Hubei
- The excavation of Liao dynasty tomb of Han Derang in Beizhen, Liaoning
- Research
- Research on prehistoric 凸-shaped house remains on the Loess Plateau
- The rise and fall of the Liangzhu society in the perspective of subsistence economy
- Boot-shaped antler artifacts and prehistoric leather production
- Archaeological culture, document texts, and the construction of early Wu Yue history
- Portable lodge from the fifth century BCE: a study of the tent of the Marquis Yi of Zeng
- Additional niches and architecture added in the Tang dynasty to the Vairocana niche in the Fengxian Temple at Longmen
- Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of human and animal skeletal remains unearthed at Zengpiyan and Dayan sites in Guilin
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- New archaeological discoveries
- The Excavation of a Neolithic site at Jingtoushan in Yuyao, Zhejiang
- The Neolithic Shuanghuaishu site in Gongyi, Henan
- The Shang dynasty remains at the Guoyuanzui site in Lutai Mountain, Huangpi District, Wuhan
- The Western Zhou Yaoheyuan site in Pengyang County, Ningxia
- Tang remains from the Keyak Khduk Beacon site in Yuli County, Xinjiang
- The excavation of the 2018 Xuewei tomb No. 1 in Reshui cemetery, Dulan County, Qinghai
- Reports
- The 2016–2017 excavation of the bronze foundry zone at the Guanzhuang site, Xingyang, Henan
- The excavation of tomb M12 at Hujiacaochang cemetery in Jingzhou, Hubei
- The excavation of Liao dynasty tomb of Han Derang in Beizhen, Liaoning
- Research
- Research on prehistoric 凸-shaped house remains on the Loess Plateau
- The rise and fall of the Liangzhu society in the perspective of subsistence economy
- Boot-shaped antler artifacts and prehistoric leather production
- Archaeological culture, document texts, and the construction of early Wu Yue history
- Portable lodge from the fifth century BCE: a study of the tent of the Marquis Yi of Zeng
- Additional niches and architecture added in the Tang dynasty to the Vairocana niche in the Fengxian Temple at Longmen
- Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of human and animal skeletal remains unearthed at Zengpiyan and Dayan sites in Guilin
