Chime bells from the Eastern Zhou sacrificial site of Zheng State

Chime bells from the Eastern Zhou sacrificial site of Zheng State, bronze musical instruments, mid-Spring and Autumn Period. 4 pieces of bi bells: total height 34.40-25.80 cm; milling length 27.30-20.70 cm; waving length 18.70-14.40 cm. 20 pieces of button bells: total height 29.10-14.10; milling length 23.70-11.20; waving length 13.50-6.30 cm. Unearthed from the Zheng State sacrificial site in Xinzheng, Henan Province in 1996, and collected by Henan Museum.

Zheng State was one of the vassal states that prospered since the Spring and Autumn Period, and was once famous for its "Zheng sound". The discovery of bronze musical instruments at the Zheng State sacrificial site in Xinzheng was the most extensive excavation at the former Bank of China archaeological site in the southwest of the east city of the Zhenghan ancient city from the end of 1996 to October 1998, and 9 sets of cellar chime bells were unearthed one after another, totaling 206 pieces. (Figure 1) The shapes of the various groups of chime bells in this batch are basically the same, with standard casting, and the production period is relatively concentrated. The bell hanging rules are consistent, with a combination of 20 button bells and 4 bi bells. It is of great significance for studying the production, musical performance and ritual system of chime bells in the Zheng State area during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Figure 1 The site where the chime bells were unearthed from the Zheng State sacrificial site

Figure 2 Data of chime bells T595:1 from the Zheng State sacrificial site

The details of the chime bells are taken as an example of a group of chime bells unearthed from T595K1. There are 24 chime bells in total. Among them, No. 1-4 are bi bells, A1-A10 are group A button bells, and B1-B10 are group B button bells.

There are 4 bi bells (Figure 3), with the same shape and decorative wood. The shape is all tile-shaped, the bell mouth and the dance part are flat, the button is a dragon head convex shape, the gong part is plain, and there are 36 nipple-shaped bells distributed on the bell cavity surface. The seal part is decorated with deformed cloud and thunder patterns, and the drum part is decorated with symmetrical back-looking dragon patterns. There is a wide and thin inner lip at the mouth, which gradually thickens from the lip edge to the lip root, and the cross-section is an acute triangle. There are many tuning files on it, and the filing inside the two main drums and the two milling corners is more obvious.

Figure 3 Bi (T595K1:1) and pattern rubbings

There are 20 button bells (Figure 4), divided into two groups A and B, 10 pieces each. The shape and pattern base wood of the button bells in group A are consistent. The bell body is thicker and tile-shaped. Flat dance, with a larger arc at the mouth. The ring button is slightly square, and the button body is mostly flat cylindrical, decorated with rope patterns. There are 36 pieces on both sides of the cavity, and the pieces are spiral-shaped. The dance and seal characters are decorated with cloud patterns, and the drum is decorated with triangle patterns and cloud patterns. There is a low flat sound beam inside each of the four side drums. There is a triangular inner lip at the mouth, which is often used for tuning filing, especially in the two main drums and the two milling corners. The shape of the base wood of the B group of button bells is the same as that of the first group, but the decoration is slightly different. A round snake pattern is added to the decoration of the main drum of the bell as a mark of the striking point of the main drum sound. The square ring plain button, most of the bells have sound beam facilities.

Figure 4 Button bell (T595K1: A2) and decoration rubbings