History Recorded in Inscriptions
1 min readBronze ware inscriptions are also called metal text. Most bronze ware inscriptions are found on bells and vessels, so the inscriptions are also called bell and vessel writings.
Bronze ware inscriptions consist of the artisan’s name, production date, production purpose and related details. Inscriptions cary rich historical and cultural information and are significant archives. With bronze ware inscriptions, later generations have a chance to know the background to the making of the object, name individual object, judge production time, and carny out research.
The number of bronze vessels with inscriptions is more than 10,000. The first-hand material testifies, complements and corrects history books. Some important bronze ware inscriptions are important evidence for the Period Division Project of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties and research of ancient Chinese times.
Inscriptions in Shang and Zhou dynasties have the same structure with the inscriptions engraved on animal bones or tortoise shells during the same period. Both have the earliest systematic characters in China, and are also important sources of Chinese calligraphy. The strokes of the inscription chirography formed through writing, engraving and casting is substantial and symbolic. This is the powerful and implicative brushstroke effect that ancient calligraphers pursued.
