良渚文化玉琮及相关纹饰的文化隐喻

良渚文化中一种典型、奇特,且颇具神秘色彩的器物——玉琮,长久以来一直受到研究者们的关注。迄今为止,关于它的研究文章,数量已经相当之多。有关玉琮的研究,一般集中于其形制、纹饰、源流、年代、功能、工艺等方面,观点多样,迄无定论。笔者近来对玉琮也略有思考,发现玉琮的形制、神人

The Cultural Connotations of the Jade Cong-prismatic Tubes and the Related Patterns of Liangzhu Culture

The structure of the jade cong-prismatic tubes of Liangzhu Culture symbolized the thought that the sky was hemispheric and the earth was square,which is very similar to the shape and cultural metaphor of tortoises.The typological studies on the jade cong reveal that the four corners of jade cong were gradually stretching out and formed,which is comparable with the tortoise in the aspects of both shapes and imagery.The prototype of jade cong was very probably the tortoise.Meanwhile,the animal prototype of the famous "deity and animal mask design" on the jade cong might also be the tortoise,which composed the "tortoise-bird motif" together with the bird designs frequently seen on the Liangzhu jades.The "deity and animal mask design" reflected a life cycle of "death—rebirth" and the tortoise and bird played the roles of convoys and patrons on the route from the death to the rebirth.As the carrier of the "deity and animal mask design",the jade cong appearing in the burial context was a religious instrument bearing functions of rejuvenating,rebirth-promoting,returning and communicating with the heaven.