中国史前陶器图像反映的“天极”观念

凌家滩玉版等重要遗物揭示出先秦文献记载的天极观念在史前时代已经出现,要点包括天极为天体的中心,可以用八角星纹和纽结纹表示;神鸟和猪这两种动物与天极运行密切相关。这为识别中国史前陶器图像反映的天极观念提供了重要线索。综合各遗址资料,这些图像或以十字线、多芒星、多射线等表现天极为方向之起点,或以纽结纹表现天极为天体运行网络之枢纽,或以弧线表现围绕天极的旋转,并有飞鸟环护、獠牙兽面、尖顶建筑等内容。对这些资料的归纳,极大丰富了对史前天极观念的认识,为解读更加复杂的史前玉器图像的内涵和讨论各地区密切的文化交流提供了启示。

On the Celestial Pole Ideology Reflected in the Prehistoric Pottery Motifs

The Lingjiatan jade plaque and other important relics have revealed that the celestial-pole concept,recorded in the pre-Qin period documents,may have come into being during the prehistoric period.Its core consists of the celestial-pole being depicted by an octagonal pattern and a knot,as well as that a divine bird and a pig being correlated with the movement of the celestial pole.It contributes greatly to the celestial-pole concept revealed in pottery patterns.The author carries out a synthetic research.It shows that the relevant motifs include crisscrosses,polygonal stars and poly-rays as the starting point,as well as the knot pattern as the motion hub.In addition,curves could be employed to symbolize rotations centering the celestial pole,which could be surrounded by birds,beast faces and pinnacle architectures.The synthesis has significantly enriched the understanding of the celestial-pole concept in the prehistoric period,which could shed light on the interpretations of the more complex patterns on prehistoric jade artifacts and the regional interactions.