Everything about Dian Kingdom totally explained
The
Dian Kingdom (Chinese: 滇國 or 滇王國) was established by the Dian people, who lived around
Lake Dian in northern
Yunnan,
China from the late
Spring and Autumn Period until the
Eastern Han Dynasty. The Dian buried their dead in vertical pit graves . The Dian language was likely related to
Tibeto-Burman languages .
The Dian were first mentioned historically in
Sima Qian's
Shiji; some Chinese sources identified
Chu general Zhuang Qiao as the founder of the Dian Kingdom. The Dian were subjugated by the
Han Dynasty under the reign of
Emperor Wu of Han in
109 BC. The Han Dynasty incorporated the territory of the Dian Kingdom into the
Yizhou Commandery, but left the King of Dian as the local ruler.
Royal burials
The Dian buried their kings at
Shizhaishan (discovered in 1954). The burials were identified by the inscription,
King Dian's Seal. The inscription was written in
seal script on a gold imperial seal given by the Han Emperor. Sima Qian noted that the Dian were one of only two local groups to have received an imperial seal, the other being
Yelang.
Bronze working
The Dian people were sophisticated metal workers, casting both bronze and iron. The Dian
cast bronze objects using both the piece mould method and the lost wax method. Dian elite burials contained an impressive array of bronze objects, although late Dian burials also contained locally cast iron objects.
Large bronze drums were employed by the Dian to communicate in battle; ritual burials of Dian elites were accompanied by large bronze drums filled with cowrie shells. The tops of the drums were removed and replaced by a bronze lid.
Scythian influences?
The scenes depicted on these drums sometimes represent Caucasoid horsemen in Central Asian clothing practicing hunting. It is often suggested that some
Scythians may also have migrated to the area of
Yunnan in southern China following their expulsion by the Yuezhi in the
2nd century BCE. Excavations of the prehistoric art of the Dian civilization of Yunnan have revealed hunting scenes of Caucasoid horsemen in Central Asian clothing. Animal scenes of felines attacking oxes also at times reminiscent of Scythian art both in theme and in composition.
Depiction of Dian society
The bronze lids were covered with miniature figurines and structures, depicting various scenes from the life of the Dian people. The bronze lids depicted the Dian people engaged in everyday activities such as hunting, farming and weaving. Other scenes depicted the leisurely pursuits of the Dian people, such as bullfighting, dancing and music-making. The Dian people dressed in tunics over short pants and wore their hair in topknots. The bronze lids corroborated Sima Qian's description of the Dian hairstyle.
Many scenes depicted the Dian at war, often riding horses. Archaeological evidence shows that horses had been domesticated by the Dian people as early as the sixth century BC. The bronze lids also depicted the Dian decapitating their enemies (who wore their hair in long plaits).
Underwater ruins
Archaeologist in China recently discovered the inundated remains of a Dian city under
Lake Fuxian; some archaeologist believe that the ruins are the remains of the capital of the Dian Kingdom.
An earthquake and subsequent flood killed the inhabitants and completely destroyed the city in
110.
Other Artifacts
At Dabona, a site connected with the Dian culture, archaeologists discovered a large double coffin burial; The outer coffin was made of wood and the inner coffin was made of bronze. The inner coffin was shaped like a house and weighs over 157 kg.
The
Yunnan Provincial Museum holds many archaeological relics of the Dian culture.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Dian Kingdom'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://dian_kingdom.totallyexplained.com">Dian Kingdom Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
