Page 261 - The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People’s Republic of China

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Bronze he vessel He vessels of the Early and Middle Western
Zhou period were generally composed of a tri-
5
5
Height 34.6 (13 A); body: height 21.8 (8 A),
lobed body on three legs, with a short neck, a small
width 20.6 (8 V 6)
domed lid and handle, and a straight spout; they
Late Western Zhou Period, ninth to
reflect a tradition carried over from much earlier
eighth century BCE
3
Shang ritual-vessel castings. While its function
From Tianma-Qucun (Beizhao, Quwo),
may have been similar to these earlier examples, the
Shanxi Province
distinctive shape of this vessel dates it to the later
Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Western Zhou period.
Taiyuan The body of the vessel is disk-shaped, resem-
bling the cross section of a log supported on the
Ritual pouring vessels (he) are generally thought to backs of two stooping human figures. The spout
have accompanied water basins (pan); both this consists of an S-shaped projection that terminates
1
vessel and a circular pan (with decorative features in a small animal head with round eyes, horns, and
that suggest an earlier date) were found in a Jin a little crest; another imaginary animal decorates
state tomb thought to have belonged to the con- the handle at the back. The lid, in the shape of a
sort of the marquis interred in Tomb M 8 (see cats. bird, is linked to a loop on the body of the vessel by
87, 88). 2 a small creature. The animal appendages and the

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