Abstract
The formal structures of word-characters have undergone continuous change through the ages. Naturally, configurations of each word-character in early China may be traced to a certain period by the distinct epochal markers presen tin every configuration. By examining the appearance of various configurations of a single word-character in different ages, we are able to outline the entire process of the historical transfiguration of that word-character. This also allows us to bring to light specific configurations that are strikingly characteristic of the epoch in which they first appeared; these configurations could erve as epistemic markers for the dating of archaeological finds that contain word-characters.
In this essay, I sort nineteen Chu-territory word-characters by their individual configurations into two groups new style characters and old style characters. I then go on to analyze when the new style formed and how it came to replace the old style. Finally, using the markers characteristic of the new style identified in the first part of this paper, I will determine the periodization, and the geographic distribution, of “Luo-Gao-Zhi-Guan Jar”, the historical and geographical background of which we understand very little. I will also present an analysis of the textual inscription on the Jar and the episteme alluded to in the inscription. Given the information available at present, I have concluded that the “Luo-Gao-Zhi-Guan Jar” was a utensil from the Chu territory that dates from the mid to late Warring States period.
Keywords
Chu-territory word-character, epochal markers, standard word-character configuration, Luo-Gao-Zhi-Guan Jar
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