An Excavation Report on Gaochang Cemetery
(Abstract)
The "South -to- North Water Diversion Project" is another large -scale hydraulic engineering work following the "Three Gorgeous Projects" , and also another startling move of Chinese government. The archaeological work, which coordinates with this project, has become an urgent and arduous task for the three provinces and one city along the line.
In the summer of 2002, from the end of 2003 to the beginning of 2004, and during the autumn season of the same year, Hebei Province -acting in concert with the water project -successively launched three archaeological investigation, exploration and primary excavation work, eventually fixing on 114 sites with abundant remaining relics. On the basis of importance and preservation conditions, all these sites were classified into "A, B, C, D" four levels as requested, among which Gaochang cemetery was designated as Level B.
Lasting from May 11, 2005 to September 30, the exploration and excavation work at Gaochang cemetery was completed to explore an area of 5000 square metres, 131 tombs. Among all these tombs, there are 7 earthen - shafts of the Warring States Period, 92 earthen - shafts of the Western Han Dynasty, 20 brick - chambered tombs of the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties, 6 were from the Northern Dynasties to the Sui Dynasty, one from the Song Dynasty, one earthen - shaft of the Qing Dynasty, and four unknown tombs, unearthing more than 700 sets of numbered funeral objects such as pottery, copper, iron, agate , porcelain, bone, glass, paint,etc. All the relevant information of the 131 excavated tomb are covered by this report.
The report consists of three parts: Part I is an overview; Part 11 is the tombs' information;Part m is a preliminary study. The first part is divided into three chapters, each depicting the general situation of the cemetery and the working methods, profiles, contents as well as the collation and compilation of materials, etc. Part 11 starts with the tombs' era as a framework, then recounts them one by one in the order from small to big serial numbers. Each tomb, whether robbed or not, relies on raw material as its basis, then goes through indoor collation of materials and restoration and checking of objects, and then respectively depicted according to each tomb' s position, time of excavation, status quo of its preservation, filling' s color and composition,the tomb' s structure, the positions of coffins, bones, burial objects and the features of every burial object. Generally, each tomb has an attached profile, some of them also has photos. Burial objects has attached outline drawings based on the tombs, the better and more intact one is the choice from the same items.
Part III of preliminary study involves seven chapters: cemetery overview; tombs' structure and the combination of burial objects; burial objects, decorative pottery of the Warring States Period and the Han Dynasty ; co - burial of different graves among the earthen - shafts of the Westeru Han Dynasty ; the transition from earthen - shafts to brick - chambered tombs ; the tombs' era and the owner' s speculation.
"Cemetery overview" summarizes how the tombs of different periods surround a rock mound,meanwhile generalizes the main burial customs. In the order of time periods, the chapter of "tombs' structure and the combination of burial objects" concludes the characteristics of tombs'struture, respectively from the filling, tombs' direction and size, tombs' furniture, skeleton, the combination of burial objects, etc. The conclusion, which is about the features of 92 earthen - shafts of the Western Han Dynasty, is particularly detailed. It divides the pottery of the burial objects into 7 combinations, among which the gallipots or the daily combination of gallipots and pottery bowls are the most common. The chapter of "burial objects" - also in the order of time - generalizes the burial objects of all periods, roughly describing according to such classifications as pottery, copper, iron, pewter, jade, glass, bone, lacquer, etc. The 7 tombs of the Warring States Period and the 112 of the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties vary greatly on the number and variety of burial objects, as a result, independent forms of narrations are adopted. The pottery is divided for their types and forms based on the traditional method, each one is marked with the unearthed number as well as the general characteristic of its type and form, moreover, each form is marked with the number of tombs containing such items, and descriptive examples are also provided.
Chapter four of "decorative pottery of the Warring States Period and the Han Dynasty" summarizes how the items were molded and the main shapes of their various parts as well as the main decoration methods and ornamental patterns. Furthermore, this chapter also provides description along with drawings of rubbings for the main patterns, such as whirling mark (旋纹), cord mark, chequer, impressed complex of looped cord (绳圈印纹), nail pattern, dancette and the combination of whirling mark (旋纹), fret pattern, cord mark; the combination of whirling mark (旋纹), chequer, cord mark; the combination of whirling mark (旋纹), cord mark,short - string pattern, the combination of whirling mark (旋纹), cord mark, impressed complex of looped cord (绳圈印纹). The " impressed complex of looped cord (绳圈印纹) " and its combination are rare patterns, which not only can decorate but also locate the '" ear" and the handle of an item. It' s one of the unique patterns that prevailed in certain areas during the Han Dynasty.
The chapter - " co - burial of different graves among the earthen - shafts of the Western Hart Dynasty" - cites the 34 tombs of Western Han Dynasty of Gaochang cemetery as concrete demonstrations, every two tombs make up a group and are side by side, which clarifies the prevalent "husband and wife buried together" during the earthen - shafts period. This chapter also expounds that the idea of " male superiority" almost dominated the whole class society of China, the idea is also reflected in the burial position of men and women due to their different social status." Right is superior, left is inferior" - such idea was widespread, especially in the Warring States Period and the Han Dynasty, in line with this idea, the social reality of "male left, female right"when burying has come into being in most of the areas.
Another significant accomplishment of the excavation in Gaochang Cemetery is the transition from earthen -shafts to brick -chambered tombs, by analyzing several tombs of special styles of this particular period such as brick - framed tombs and also brick - framed ones with flat tops, for the first time, however, this article has clearly claimed that such styles were of popularity in certain areas during the transition period from earthen - shafts to brick - chambered tombs. They still maintained the structure of wooden coffin of the earthen - shafts period, at the same time adopted brick frames and flat tops, even without evident tomb doors and passage ways, they are much more primitive than brick- spanned tops and domed tops of mature periods.
The last chapter involves the tombs' era and the owner' s speculation, by making contrasts between tombs of major periods and recently - published materials on the same period, then leading to inference about the tombs' relative times, with particularly detailed classification on the most tombs of Han Dynasty according to different time periods. Based on the above - mentioned analysis about the structure of tombs and conclusions about the combination of burial objects as well as their types and forms, meanwhile taking the unearthed coins into consideration, this chapter divides the tombs of Han Dynasty into five periods: the early Western Han Dynasty, the mid-Western Han Dynasty, the late Western Han Dynasty, the end of Western Han Dynasty to the early Eastern Han Dynasty, the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty.
