摘要
馬（Equus caballus）在中國古代政治、經濟、文化景觀的塑造與演變過程中扮演重要角色。西周時期，馬不僅是生業經濟與軍事活動的關鍵資源，也是貴族階層喪葬與祭祀的重要元素。墓外祔葬的車馬坑和馬坑是西周時期馬匹儀式性使用的主要表現形式。以往關於西周時期車馬埋葬的研究多集中於車、馬組合形式及其反映的社會等級等問題，而針對馬骨本身的系統研究仍然較為缺乏。尤其是關於車馬埋葬的具體過程以及車馬坑葬馬選擇等問題，相關研究尚屬空白。
本文基於對寧夏彭陽姚河塬西周遺址二號車馬坑葬馬的現場提取和系統整理分析，嘗試復原車馬的埋葬過程，揭示馬匹的生物性狀。在此基礎上，結合已發表材料，探討西周時期車馬坑和馬坑葬馬的選擇特點。
姚河塬遺址是中國西北地區首次發現的西周時期封國都邑城址。二號車馬坑位於遺址高等級墓葬區的東側邊緣，是已發掘車馬坑中埋葬車輛和馬匹數量均最多的一座。現場提取和整理工作表明，二號車馬坑內共葬有拆卸後的車輛3乘和至少28匹馬（另有1具死後分娩的胎兒，僅存少量骨骼）。對馬匹疊壓關係的梳理和分析顯示，這些馬匹的擺放並非隨意無序。車馬坑東部、南部、西部緊貼坑底的馬匹應是最早被葬入的個體；之後在其上方沿不同方向陸續葬入更多馬匹；最後在車馬坑東北角集中葬入剩餘馬匹。這些馬匹未見掙扎痕跡和四肢捆綁跡象，且均無骨折現象，因此很可能是在坑外被殺死後由葬儀人員借助工具葬入坑內。此外，馬匹死後分娩的現象暗示二號車馬坑的填埋可能發生在春夏之際。
二號車馬坑可判斷性別的葬馬中僅1具為雌性，其餘均為雄性。馬匹的年齡跨度相對較大，雖然已成年個體數量最多，但仍包含部分未成年與老年個體，整體上可能象徵了一個小型馬群。牙齒與骨骼上的異常現象表明，部分馬匹生前可能受到不同程度的役使。總體而言，二號車馬坑的葬馬以服役能力較強、體型較為高大的雄性青壯年個體為主。與其他幾處西周時期馬坑的比較分析進一步顯示，葬馬的年齡、身高等生物性狀的選擇可能與馬坑、車馬坑對應墓葬和墓地的等級關係密切。
本研究是對西周時期車馬埋葬過程的首次探討，也是針對西周時期車馬坑、馬坑葬馬選擇特點的綜合考察。本文希望通過姚河塬遺址二號車馬坑的個案分析拓寬研究思路，為更全面、深入地認識中國古代車馬埋葬制度提供新的視角。
The horse (Equus caballus) played a crucial role in shaping the political, economic, and cultural landscape of ancient China. During the Western Zhou period, horses were essential resources for the subsistence economy and military warfare, and were also key components of mortuary and sacrificial practices of the elites. The affiliation of chariot-horse pits and horse pits with mortuary contexts underscores the ritual significance ascribed to horses, making the study of chariot and horse burial a longstanding focus of archaeological interest. Previous research on Western Zhou chariot and horse burial has largely focused on the configurations of horses and chariots and their association with social status and hierarchy. However, there has been a lack of analysis of the horse skeletons themselves. Key questions, such as the sequence of chariot and horse interments and the criteria for selecting horses for chariot-horse pits, remain unexplored.
Drawing on the on-site extraction and analysis of horse remains from chariot-horse pit no. 2 (CMK2) at the Western Zhou period site of Yaoheyuan in present-day Pengyang County, Ningxia, this study seeks to reconstruct the sequence of chariot and horse interments and analyzes the biological characteristics of these horses. Alongside published zooarchaeological data, we also examine the selection criteria for horses used in chariot-horse pits and horse pits during the Western Zhou.
Yaoheyuan is the capital site of a Western Zhou feudal state recently discovered in northwestern China, representing the first discovery of its kind in the region. Located at the eastern periphery of the high-ranking burial area, CMK2 contained the largest number of chariots and horses among all excavated examples. A total of three disassembled chariots and a minimum of twenty-eight individual horses (excluding a fetus expelled post-mortem) were found. Detailed analyses of the stratigraphic relationships among the horse remains indicate that their placement was not random. Horses lying directly on the bottom in the western, southern, and eastern parts of the pit were the first to be interred. Subsequent layers of horses were buried on top of these in all directions, with the remaining concentrated in the northeastern corner. The horses exhibit no evidence of struggle, limb binding, or skeletal fractures. These observations strongly suggest that the horses were killed outside the pit and then buried by burial personnel using tools. The post-mortem fetal extrusion in a female horse further implies that the interment likely occurred in late spring or early summer.
Of the horses for which sex determination is possible, only one has been identified as female, while all others are male. The age range of the horses is relatively broad, characterized by a predominance of adult individuals alongside juvenile and aged horses, a demographic pattern potentially reflective of a small herd structure. The observed dental and skeletal abnormalities suggest that some of these horses were likely involved in transport to some extent. Overall, the horses selected for CMK2 were primarily adults in their prime age, at their peak working capacity, and of relatively tall stature. Further comparative analysis with contemporary horse pits indicates that the selection of horses for chariot-horse pits and horse pits during the Western Zhou, based on biological characteristics such as age and stature, was likely linked to the rank of the elite burials and associated sites.
The study of CMK2 at Yaoheyuan represents an important first step in understanding the interment practices associated with chariots and horses, while providing new insights into criteria for selecting horses for chariot-horse pits and horse pits during the Western Zhou period. It is hoped that this case study will broaden research perspectives and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the chariot and horse burial system in ancient China.
關鍵詞
西周 姚河塬遺址 車馬坑 埋葬過程 馬匹選擇
Western Zhou; Yaoheyuan; chariot-horse pit; sequence of interments; horse selection
