“Tribute” and Sacrifice: Scene-Specific Bronzes at Sanxingdui
Abstract
This paper examines the scene-specific bronzes from Sanxingdui, focusing on bronze altars and zun-topped figures. Through an analysis of their compositional elements—divine creature, human figure, and zun arranged in a triadic structure from bottom to top—it is argued that these bronzes depict ceremonial “tribute” scenes. These scenes portray a figure riding an elephant with a zun on its head, offering cowries and other rare resources. The prominence of “tribute” scenes in Sanxingdui’s sacrificial and religious practices underscores the site’s advanced resource circulation network and its central role in facilitating cultural and material exchanges.
Postscript
The original article “ 献贡” 与祭祀—三星堆场景化铜器解析 was published in Kaogu 考古 (Archaeology) 2024.5:74–80 with four figures and 14 notes. The English version, translated by Yuting Gao 高毓婷, has removed the notes.
Further Reading
Li, Xinwei 李新伟. 三星堆铜顶尊屈身鸟足人像和中美地区柔术者形象 [Sanxingdui Bronze Zun-Topped Bent Figure with Bird Feet: Links to Contortionist Imagery in Mesoamerican Culture]. Sichuan wenwu 四川文物 [Sichuan Cultural Relics], no. 6 (2022).Search in Google Scholar
Shi, Jinsong 施劲松. 三星堆器物坑的再审视 [A Reassessment of the Sanxingdui Artifact Pits]. Kaogu xuebao 考古学报 [Acta Archaeologica Sinica], no. 2 (2004).Search in Google Scholar
Sun, Hua 孙华. 三星堆埋藏坑的组合铜器—三星堆神庙中沟通人神的供奉器具 [Composite Bronzes: Ritual Vessels Bridging Humans and Deities at Temples in Sanxingdui]. Zhongguo guojia bowuguan guankan 中国国家博物馆馆刊 [Journal of National Museum of China], no. 9 (2023).Search in Google Scholar
Tang, Jigen 唐际根. “ 祭祀坑” 还是” 灭国坑”: 三星堆考古背后的观点博弈 [“Sacrificial Pits” or “Pits of Defeat”: Debates in Sanxingdui Archaeology]. Meicheng zaijiu 美成在久 [Orientations], no. 3 (2021).Search in Google Scholar
Zhang, Changping 张昌平. 论三星堆祭祀坑出土物所展现的祭祀场景 [Sacrificial Scenes in Artifacts from Sanxingdui’s Sacrificial Pits]. Jianghan kaogu 江汉考古 [Jianghan Archaeology], no. 4 (2023).Search in Google Scholar
Zhao, Dianzeng 赵殿增. 三星堆祭祀活动的基本架构: 神坛、神庙、祭祀坑 [Sanxingdui Sacrificial Framework: Altars, Temples, and Pits]. Sichuan wenwu 四川文物 [Sichuan Cultural Relics], no. 5 (2022).Search in Google Scholar
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Theoretical Studies
- Archaeological Insights into the Distinctive Features of Chinese Civilization and Their Historical Logic
- Fieldwork Reports
- The Paleolithic Mengxihe Site in Ziyang, Sichuan
- The Neolithic Keqiutou Site Cluster in Pingtan, Fujian
- The Ancient Paddy Fields at the Shi’ao Site in Yuyao, Zhejiang
- The Neolithic Qujialing Site in Jingmen, Hubei
- Large Wooden Structure F63 at the Neolithic Jijiaocheng Site in Lixian, Hunan
- The Shang Dynasty Zhaigou Site in Qingjian, Shaanxi
- Tang–Song Period Jingjiao Monastery Remains at the Xipang Site in Turpan, Xinjiang
- Research Articles
- Microblade Technology, Population Dynamics, and Behavioral Evolution in Terminal Pleistocene North China
- Recent Advances in the Study of Austronesian Origins and Dispersal from an Archaeological Perspective
- Late Shang Zoomorphic Jade Objects and Implications of Their Diffusion
- “Tribute” and Sacrifice: Scene-Specific Bronzes at Sanxingdui
- Archaeological Observations on Modular Production during the Han Dynasty
- Archaeological Science
- A Study of Liangzhu Period Chinese Bayberry (Myrica rubra) Remains from the Shi’ao Site
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Theoretical Studies
- Archaeological Insights into the Distinctive Features of Chinese Civilization and Their Historical Logic
- Fieldwork Reports
- The Paleolithic Mengxihe Site in Ziyang, Sichuan
- The Neolithic Keqiutou Site Cluster in Pingtan, Fujian
- The Ancient Paddy Fields at the Shi’ao Site in Yuyao, Zhejiang
- The Neolithic Qujialing Site in Jingmen, Hubei
- Large Wooden Structure F63 at the Neolithic Jijiaocheng Site in Lixian, Hunan
- The Shang Dynasty Zhaigou Site in Qingjian, Shaanxi
- Tang–Song Period Jingjiao Monastery Remains at the Xipang Site in Turpan, Xinjiang
- Research Articles
- Microblade Technology, Population Dynamics, and Behavioral Evolution in Terminal Pleistocene North China
- Recent Advances in the Study of Austronesian Origins and Dispersal from an Archaeological Perspective
- Late Shang Zoomorphic Jade Objects and Implications of Their Diffusion
- “Tribute” and Sacrifice: Scene-Specific Bronzes at Sanxingdui
- Archaeological Observations on Modular Production during the Han Dynasty
- Archaeological Science
- A Study of Liangzhu Period Chinese Bayberry (Myrica rubra) Remains from the Shi’ao Site
