The Yan-Ding Inscription and The Yi Sacrifice of The Western-Zhou Dynasty
The phrase of'Rong Ji'(肜祭in Chinese character,Róng Ji in Chinese pinyin),meaning the Sacrifice of Rong,commonly appears in oracle bone inscriptions.The ritual sacrifice is described Rong(肜)in the Yin dynasty but Yi(绎)in the Zhou dynasty'.Yet,the service of Yi of the Zhou dynasty is rarely argued in any archaeologically-excavated literature,so this thesis starts with the inscriptions on the Yan-Ding vessel for a probe into the evolution of the Sacrifice of Yi(绎祭 in Chinese character,Yì Jì in Chinese pinyin)from the Mourning of Yi(绎哀 in Chinese character,Yì(A)i in Chinese pinyin).The ritual sacrifice of Yi serves after the ceremonial mourning of Yi.The former is the continuation that blesses and memories the deceased while the latter mourns the passing away of the dead.The sacrifice of Yi develops regularized with some reforms in rites and etiquette to serve as a system of funeral ceremony.As is recorded in the inscription on the Yan-Ding vessel,the Yi sacrifice as a continuation relative to the formal event is likely held by the minor clans.The analysis above is of significance for exploring the early patriarchal system of the Western-Zhou dynasty.
the Western-Zhou dynastyYan-Ding vessel(妟鼎)Yi sacrifice(绎祭)Bin Shi(宾尸)
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