China News Service, Taiyuan, July 5 (Reporter Hu Jian) ​​The reporter learned from the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology on the 5th that local archaeologists found a tomb of middle-class nobles in the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty in Jiangxian County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. The short sword of Chu Gongni is of great value to the study of the age of Chu Gongni.

Bronze chariots and horses unearthed from the tomb.

Photo courtesy of Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology

　　The Hengshui Western Zhou Cemetery is located about 800 meters north of Hengbei Village, Hengshui Town, Jiangxian County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. From 2004 to 2007, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology (the former Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology), Yuncheng Cultural Relics Workstation and Jiangxian Cultural Relics The bureau formed a joint archaeological team to carry out rescue excavations in the cemetery, and a total of 1,299 tombs in the Western Zhou Dynasty were excavated.

The overall picture of the bronze square seat.

Photo courtesy of Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology

　　The tomb announced this time is located in the west-central part of the Hengshui Western Zhou cemetery. The owner of the tomb is male, aged 35 to 40 years old. There is a waist pit in the middle of the bottom of the tomb, and an adult dog is buried in the waist pit.

There are two martyrs in the tomb, one male, aged around 25, and the other, whose gender is unknown, aged between 14 and 15.

　　A total of 228 pieces (sets) of funerary objects were unearthed from the tomb, including bronze ware, tin ware, pottery, jade ware, bone horn ware, and mussel ware.

Among them, the bronze wares are the most numerous, including sacrificial weapons, weapons, tools, chariots and horses, etc.

Partial view of the top of the copper square seat.

Photo courtesy of Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology

　　Among the 5 ritual vessels unearthed, some of the bronze vessels have inscriptions inscribed, among which there are inscriptions cast on the edge of the bronze li: "Qi Ji Zuo Bao Zun Li." The inner bottom of the square seat is inscribed with an inscription: "Tong Zhao Zuo Jue Sheng Kao Bo Bao. Respect Yi, only use Yongnian Jue Kao’s sons and grandsons to treasure.” The inner bottom of the bronze plate inscribes the inscription: “You are the treasure plate.”

　　Among them, a short sword unearthed has an inscription.

The short sword is 22.8 centimeters long, 18.8 centimeters long, 3.6 centimeters wide, and weighs 150 grams.

Both sides of the sword body near the stem grid are decorated with Yinxian human face patterns.

An inscription is cast on the top of the head with the two-faced human face pattern: "Chu Gong Ni □ □ Zhong Ge."

Inscription on the bronze square seat.

Photo courtesy of Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology

　　Archaeologists infer that it is possible that the maker of this utensil is the Duke of Chu, who is the same person as the bell of Duke of Chu unearthed in M64 of the cemetery of the Marquis of Jin and the bell of Duke of Chu unearthed in Jiayu County of the Song Dynasty.

Bronze weapons and tools unearthed from the tomb.

Photo by Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology

　　Song Jianzhong, the excavation leader of this archaeological project, said that the owner of tomb M2158 in the same cemetery is considered to be the first-generation monarch of the Kuo-guo - Kubo.

In comparison, this tomb is slightly smaller in scale, but there are many burial objects.

There are some common features between the two, such as waist pits at the bottom of the tomb, and martyrdom inside the tomb. These features all indicate that the identity of the owner of the tomb should be a middle-class aristocrat in the country.

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