As discussed by Armin Selbitschka in “Miniature Tomb Figurines and Models in Pre-Imperial and Early Imperial China: Origins, Development and Significance,” the transition from human sacrifice to figurine inclusion is a topic that I pondered on during the week. One reason that explains the substitution is addressed by Confucian argument: “figurines rather suddenly replaced human sacrifices for moral reasons” (37). Selbitschka highlights that the practice of performing human sacrifices and the use of statuettes overlapped for nearly a millenium–one thousand years (37). A change in ritual and practice over a millenium did not seem “rather sudden” to me.
In order to understand the relationship, or determine if one exists, between the sacrificed humans and the figurines found in the tombs, I have to figure out whether this transition was due to a gradual substitution or an unrelated correlation. More concisely, “The more pertinent question, then, is: did human sacrifices and miniature figurines fulfil similar functions in tombs? (37). With more research, it was determined that “the statuettes clearly represent servants, musicians, soldiers and so forth” (38). Eventually, the tradition of human sacrifice when preparing someone’s tomb was substituted with the statuettes.
Three Things I Learned
- Regardless of how shocking certain practices may be to me personally, I am in no position to judge because it likely comes from a culture that I do not know anything about.
- Figurines represent people with different occupations. Their identities can be determined by the position of the body and limbs, showing an action.
- One’s spot in a tomb indicates ownership, contributing to the idea of a “little empire.”
Bibliographic References
Ledderose, Lothar. Ten Thousand Things : Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art. The A.W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts, 1998. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000.
Hung, Wu. The Art of the Yellow Springs: Understanding Chinese Tombs. London: Reaktion Books, 2010.
Selbitschka, Armin. “Miniature Tomb Figurines and Models in Pre-Imperial and Early Imperial China: Origins, Development and Significance.” World Archaeology 47, no. 1 (2015): 20-44.
