﻿ARCHEOLOGY 
  IN 
  CHINA 
  LIANG 
  459 
  

  

  Many 
  dead 
  languages 
  we 
  can 
  understand 
  by 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  these 
  stone 
  

   inscriptions. 
  For 
  instance, 
  Chu 
  Yung 
  Kuan 
  contains 
  hexaglot 
  in- 
  

   scriptions 
  and 
  Avalokita 
  or 
  Mo 
  Kao 
  Ku 
  contains 
  also 
  hexaglot 
  in- 
  

   scriptions, 
  namely: 
  (1) 
  Chinese, 
  (2) 
  Tibetan, 
  (3) 
  Sanscrit, 
  (4) 
  

   Ouigur, 
  (5) 
  Bashpa 
  Mongol, 
  (6) 
  Tangut. 
  The 
  date 
  and 
  the 
  char- 
  

   acters 
  are 
  similar 
  in 
  the 
  inscriptions 
  of 
  both 
  monuments. 
  Thus 
  the 
  

   language 
  of 
  West 
  Hsia 
  and 
  Bashpa 
  can 
  now 
  be 
  deciphered 
  as 
  they 
  

   stand 
  side 
  by 
  side 
  with 
  Sanscrit 
  and 
  Chinese. 
  

  

  Again, 
  many 
  stones 
  with 
  fantastic 
  inscriptions 
  recording 
  contracts 
  

   and 
  agreements 
  for 
  the 
  selling 
  and 
  buying 
  of 
  farm 
  land 
  have 
  been 
  

   discovered 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  Provinces 
  of 
  China. 
  We 
  can 
  know 
  from 
  

   these 
  inscriptions 
  what 
  the 
  civil 
  law 
  of 
  ancient 
  times 
  was 
  and 
  how 
  

   it 
  actually 
  worked. 
  

  

  From 
  Chang 
  Ching 
  Hui 
  Meng 
  Pei, 
  which 
  contains 
  inscriptions 
  

   in 
  both 
  Chinese 
  and 
  Tibetan 
  and 
  which 
  records 
  the 
  treaty 
  in 
  these 
  

   two 
  languages, 
  we 
  can 
  see 
  the 
  laws 
  governing 
  the 
  relationship 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  countries 
  that 
  existed 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  Also 
  from 
  the 
  tablets 
  

   which 
  contain 
  the 
  transliteration 
  of 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  official 
  titles 
  and 
  

   names 
  of 
  persons, 
  we 
  know 
  the 
  pronunciation 
  of 
  the 
  Tang 
  dynasty. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  10 
  points 
  only 
  indicate 
  very 
  briefly 
  the 
  work 
  that 
  

   has 
  been 
  undertaken 
  by 
  the 
  archeologists 
  interested 
  in 
  stone 
  inscrip- 
  

   tions, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  contribution 
  to 
  the 
  understanding 
  of 
  Chinese 
  

   history 
  and 
  culture. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  stone 
  inscriptions 
  we 
  have 
  jade 
  carvings 
  which 
  are 
  

   similar 
  to 
  stone 
  carvings 
  and 
  which 
  form 
  a 
  special 
  branch 
  of 
  study. 
  

   The 
  Chinese 
  began 
  to 
  use 
  jade 
  in 
  ancient 
  times. 
  The 
  designs 
  carved 
  

   on 
  the 
  jades 
  vary 
  and 
  so 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  by 
  examining 
  them 
  to 
  deter- 
  

   mine 
  their 
  age. 
  This 
  also 
  has 
  a 
  bearing 
  on 
  archeology. 
  

  

  Metals. 
  — 
  Metals 
  include 
  bronze 
  and 
  iron. 
  Because 
  of 
  its 
  dura- 
  

   bility, 
  more 
  bronze 
  articles 
  have 
  come 
  down 
  to 
  us 
  than 
  iron 
  ones. 
  

   We 
  have 
  bronzes 
  dating 
  from 
  the 
  three 
  early 
  dynasties, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  

   following 
  dynasties 
  could 
  boast 
  of 
  such 
  possessions. 
  But 
  our 
  an- 
  

   cestors 
  did 
  not 
  pay 
  much 
  attention 
  to 
  them 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  many 
  

   bronzes 
  yielded 
  from 
  the 
  soil 
  were 
  lost. 
  However, 
  with 
  greater 
  

   interest 
  in 
  the 
  antiquities, 
  with 
  improvement 
  in 
  connoisseurship 
  and 
  

   with 
  better 
  technique 
  of 
  rubbings, 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  findings 
  is 
  diminishing. 
  

   The 
  objects 
  of 
  antiquity 
  can 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  the 
  following 
  kinds 
  : 
  

  

  hiscriftions 
  on 
  hells 
  and 
  tripods. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  Hsia 
  and 
  Yin 
  dynasties 
  

   the 
  casting 
  of 
  bells 
  and 
  tripods 
  was 
  very 
  common 
  and 
  so 
  they 
  became 
  

   very 
  numerous. 
  The 
  most 
  important 
  were 
  the 
  sacrificial 
  vessels 
  

   which 
  were 
  also 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  dowry. 
  In 
  ancient 
  times 
  these 
  

   things 
  were 
  highly 
  regarded. 
  Hence 
  the 
  saying, 
  "However 
  poor 
  

   the 
  gentleman 
  may 
  be, 
  he 
  will 
  never 
  sell 
  his 
  sacrificial 
  vessels." 
  

  

  