Previous attempts to reconstruct the chronology of one’s Xibeigang regal tombs have relied primarily on examination of partial overlaps ranging from particular of your own tombs (age.grams. Li Resource Li 1959; Kane Site Kane 1975; Unknown 1977; Chang Source Chang 1980: 117–19; Yang Reference Yang 1981, Site Yang 1991). The fresh tombs was heavily robbed and more than of datable artefacts (eg tan issues) that will be attributed to specific phases of your own typo-chronological sequence was in fact missing (Liang & Gao Source Liang and Gao 1962, Resource Liang and you may Gao 1965, Source Liang and Gao 1967, Reference Liang senior sizzle Co je to and you may Gao 1968, Site Liang and you can Gao 1970, Resource Liang and you will Gao 1974, Reference Liang and Gao 1976, Site Liang and you will Gao 1996; cf. Eg overlaps, but not, can be found simply anywhere between tombs 1001 and you may 1550 (the second are constructed afterwards compared to the former), ranging from 1001, 1004 and you may 1002 (constructed in that order), and you may ranging from 1500 and you may 1217 (the second constructed afterwards compared to the previous) (Figure 1). None 1003 neither 1400 monitor such as for instance overlapping (Shape step one). For this reason, the last perceptions failed to to get tombs 1003 and you can 1400 convincingly from the Xibeigang succession (see Dining table step 1).

Between your high tombs of your own Xibeigang cemetery, 1443 and you can 50WGM1 are considered so you can pre-time the first phase, and you can, notably, are probably contemporaneous which have Huanbei Shangcheng ????, discovered instantaneously north-eastern off Yinxu, and matchmaking about Center Shang period (Tang Resource Tang 1999)

Just like the 1950s, a relative chronology has been developed having fun with Anyang pottery boats, which can be told by the classification away from bronzes and other circumstances. The consequence of here is the four-phase Anyang Yinxu chronology (IA CASS 1994). Tombs 1550, 1400 and 1004 was contemporaneous towards Fu-Hao tomb, and hence go out on the next stage. They are the merely tombs and this can be convincingly situated in new Yinxu chronological system.

Study of the newest routine bones ‘Gu-si’ spatulas decorated with carved emblematic design possess, yet not, allowed Uchida to create an excellent chronological program which enables the newest temporary ranks of all royal tombs at Xibeigang cemetery to be determined. Steady diachronic transform would be accepted about pursuing the popular features of these spatulas (Profile 3) (Namba Site Namba [Uchida] 1990, Reference Namba [Uchida] 1995a & Site Namba [Uchida] b; look for and the OSM):

Yinxu tomb 5 (the newest tomb away from Fu-Hao, a wife of your own twenty-2nd Shang ruler Wu-Ding) from the castle advanced at Xiaotun ?? Village had not been robbed, and you may yielded a great grave assemblage typical of 2nd stage regarding brand new chronological strategy (IA CASS 1980)

Figure 3. ‘Gu-si’ ?? and its particular typo-sequence. A) Parts and you may brands included in what (213mm in total, and you can 65mm wide; immediately after Umehara Site Umehara 1940: fig. 82); B) specimens off particular tombs, demonstrated in the chronological order (Institute of the past and Philology, Academia Sinica).

1. 1) Morphology: the earliest specimens preserve the first model of the new cows rib and leg bones from which they are shaped. He is large in dimensions and rounded during the cross-section. Throughout the years it be square and you may dish-eg, and you may slowly smaller, straighter into the cross-section, that have concave long corners.
2. 2) Carving: this new first multitude of construction units spanning the complete structure gradually decrease. Carving try 1st when you look at the save but slowly transform so you can flatter methods having incised themes (Profile 3).
3. 3) Design: themes belong to a few head life style (find Contour S1 regarding OSM), each of which will show a distinct means of economisation and you can simplification with regards to the carving techniques and you can design employed.
4. 4) The initial bones crest is remaining unworked on the earlier specimens but is all the more worked through the years; the top are flattened and particular design design try incised inside it (Contour 3a).