The mystery of the ancient oath reveals the oath document of the Jin Kingdom two thousand years ago

Mondo History Updated on 2024-01-29

The mysterious origin of the Book of the Houma League.

The social context of the oath.

More than 2,000 years ago, the people of the Jin Kingdom in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty used a brush to write a precious physical material of writing - Houma Mengshu. This is the first time that an oath material that can be compared to a document has been unearthed in China, and it originated from the social turmoil of the time. Its discovery provides rare material materials for the study of Chinese society in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and has attracted long-term attention from experts and scholars in the fields of archaeology, paleography and history.

The discovery of the Book of Alliances.

In the cold winter of 1965, exciting news came from near the ruins of the Jin Kingdom in Houma City. In the process of urban planning and construction of the power plant, archaeologists carried out exploration around the ruins of the Jin Kingdom in Houma. It is about 2 southeast of the ancient city group of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in HoumaAt 5 kilometers, they found more than 400 rectangular pits. The discovery sparked excavations by archaeologists at the Houma Cultural Relics Management Station of the Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Committee.

During the excavation, a group of students found stone flakes with soil in the pit, on which the handwriting of Zhushu was faintly visible. This unexpected discovery aroused everyone's interest. Archaeologists Tao Zhenggang and others acted quickly and successfully regrouped the scattered stone chips through mobilization, including an important specimen of the general order of the Houma League's oath.

The diachronic excavation of the Book of Alliances.

From November 1965 to May 1966, the excavation of the Houma Oath site lasted seven months, and a total of 326 rectangular pits were excavated, of which more than 1,500 pieces of the covenant written on jade and stone tablets were unearthed in 42 pits. Each pit buried a carcass, in different burial postures, and some of them seemed to remain alive.

The book of alliance caused a sensation.

News of the discovery of the book soon spread throughout Taiyuan and Beijing. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage sent famous cultural relics experts Xie Chensheng and Zhang Hao to the scene to inspect the stone specimens of the Zhu Shu script. In 1966, the monthly "Cultural Relics" and the "Archaeology" magazine successively published two important articles by Zhang Hao and Guo Moruo, and the term "Houma League" was proposed for the first time.

The excavation of the Houma Mengshu has become a major discovery in the study of early Chinese writing, and has been rated as one of the top ten archaeological discoveries since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Due to its rarity, the Houma Book is a gem in the field of ancient writing.

Behind the production of the Houma League was a major social act in the Spring and Autumn Period - the oath. At the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the feudal system was practiced, but by the Spring and Autumn period, the relationship between the Son of Heaven and the princes had changed. The princes began to carry out large-scale annexation and hegemony wars, ignoring the existence of Zhou Tianzi. In order to bind the relationship between each other, the oath style was produced.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the princes attacked each other, and deceitful became the norm. In response to this situation, Zhou Tianzi appointed "Hou Bo" to administer the vassal states, forming a system of constraints. Covenants and oaths became important ways to maintain relationships.

The uniqueness of the Houma League.

The content of the Houma League shows that the objects of the oath gradually changed from less to more, indicating that the struggle at that time was extremely complex and the hostile forces were strong. There are 251 participants in the alliance book, and there are 26 targets for attack, which are mainly divided into five categories: the clan alliance and the commission category. This shows that the Houma League is not only a product of external struggles, but also internal power struggles.

The importance of the Covenant.

The discovery of the Houma Book of the League is of extraordinary significance and value for the study of paleographies, the content of the oath, the etiquette, and the understanding of the society of the time. This precious cultural heritage of humanity reveals a corner of the society of the Jin Kingdom 2,000 years ago, and provides valuable material materials for the study of ancient Chinese social system and civilization.

Epilogue. The Book of the Houma League, as the first oath material unearthed in China corresponding to the document, is a bright pearl in the history of Chinese civilization. Its mysterious origins, rich excavation process, and the social background of the oath have made this artifact highly visible. Through an in-depth study of the Houma League, we may be able to understand more comprehensively the social landscape of the time and unveil this ancient history.

Commentary: Unveiling the veil of history, the preciousness of the Book of the Houma League.

The discovery of the Houma Book is like a door to the society of 2,000 years ago, giving us a glimpse into the various aspects of the oath, the social system and the power struggle of the time. This article provides a detailed account of the discovery of the Houma League, the social context behind it, and its great value for the study of ancient societies.

First of all, the discovery of the Book of the Houma League is itself a great feat in the field of archaeology. Through the article, we know that these covenants were unearthed in rectangular pits and were accompanied by abundant sacrifices, vividly reflecting the procedures and scenes of the oaths at that time. This provides physical support for the archaeological study of ancient societies, allowing us to more intuitively feel the solemn atmosphere of rituals, sacrifices and oaths at that time.

Secondly, the article elaborates on the social background of the covenant, and profoundly reveals the social changes and the rise of the covenant in the Spring and Autumn period. The article points out that the vassal states of the Spring and Autumn Period began to ignore the existence of Zhou Tianzi and launched wars of annexation and hegemony, so covenants and oaths became an important way to maintain relations between the parties. This provided the historical soil for the emergence of the Houma League, and also gave us a clearer understanding of the political pattern of the society at that time.

This paper makes an in-depth analysis of the specific content and the process of its change, and reveals the diversity and evolution of the book. In particular, the change of the objects of the oath from few to many reflects the extremely complex social struggle and the strong hostile forces at that time. This provides us with a new perspective for understanding the social turmoil and changes at that time, and enriches our understanding of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Most importantly, the discovery of the Houma Book is of extraordinary value for the study of ancient Chinese civilization. The article mentions that the Houma Mengshu not only provides a physical object for the study of ancient characters, but also reveals a corner of the Jin society two thousand years ago. This cultural heritage of humanity gives us a deeper understanding of the etiquette, culture and oath system of ancient societies, and provides us with a unique historical clue to explore the source of Chinese civilization.

In summary, the discovery of the Houma Mengshu is the result of a joint exploration in the fields of archaeology, paleography and history, and its preciousness lies in the fact that it opens the door for us to understand the society of the Spring and Autumn Period. Through detailed historical data and vivid descriptions, this article gives us a more comprehensive understanding of the origin, historical value and important contributions to ancient society of the Houma League.

Disclaimer: The above content information is ** on the Internet, and the author of this article does not intend to target or insinuate any real country, political system, organization, race, or individual. The above content does not mean that the author of this article agrees with the laws, rules, opinions, behaviors in the article and is responsible for the authenticity of the relevant information. The author of this article is not responsible for any issues arising from the above or related issues, and does not assume any direct or indirect legal liability.

If the content of the article involves the content of the work, copyright**, infringement, rumors or other issues, please contact us to delete it. Finally, if you have any different thoughts about this event, please leave a message in the comment area to discuss!

Related Pages