Through preliminary interpretation of the meaning of two categories of figural bronzes from the Sanxingdui site,namely bronze altars and anthropomorphic statues holding a zun vessel on top of the head,this paper argues that the bronzes depict scenes of"offering tribute."The three elements of the scene,from bottom to top,consist of the beast(elephant),the human("tribute offeror"),and the vessel(cowrie shell container),representing the"offeror"riding the elephant with a zun vessel on top of the head and presenting rare resources such as cowrie shells upwards."Offering tribute"was an important activity at Sanxingdui,reflecting the site's developed resource network.
Bronze AltarBronze Anthropomorphic Statue Holding a Zun Vessel on Top of the Head"Offering Tribute"Cowrie Shell and Elephant TuskResource Circulation
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