A Comparative Research on the Decoration of Ancient Bronze Drums and Bronze Lifting Cylinders

Abstract

Among the many bronzes in the Bronze Age culture of South China and Southeast Asia, bronze drums and bronze lifting cylinders are the most representative artifacts. As the most revealing elements of cultural connotation, they adopt very similar and even the same decoration, indicating that the relationship is very close. Based on the data of archaeology, museums and related cultural institutions, this paper compares and analyzes the decoration types and contents of ancient bronze drums and cylinders. At the same time, combined with archaeological, historical, ethnological and other disciplines for comprehensive research, the conclusion is as follows: In the Bronze Age culture in Southeast Asia and southern China, bronze drums and bronze cylinders both are the most important bronze rituals, and they are also the most local bronzes in different regions. The cultural connotations of their decoration shows that not only their users are from different branches of the unified ethnic origin, but also maintain frequent exchanges in their respective developments, and also show that there are relatively mature Bronze Age cultures in this vast area. Keywords—ancient bronze lifting cylinder; bronze drum; decoration; Southern China; Southeast Asia