The Story of the Gilded Silver Plate in Eastern Rome
The Eastern Roman gilded silver plate was unearthed in Beitan, Jingyuan County, Gansu Province. It is now stored in the Gansu Provincial Museum. It is a cultural relic that witnesses the exchange and integration of the East and the West. It was made with a unique craftsmanship. It was made of pure gold and was repeatedly tempered and welding. The surface was covered with thin gold foil. One side of the plate was engraved with exquisite patterns, symbolizing power, wealth, and mysterious power. This silver plate might have been a gift from the Byzantine Emperor to the imperial family of the Tang Dynasty in China around the sixth century. It was an important record of the large-scale cultural exchange between the East and the West. The silver plate was 31 centimeters in diameter, 4.9 centimeters in height, and weighed 3190 grams. Although most of the gold on the surface had fallen off due to the erosion of time and sand, one could still imagine the exquisiteness of the embossed patterns. The silver plate was decorated with embossed patterns and arranged in three circles. The outer circle was a grape scroll pattern with small animals such as lizards, bees, insects, etc. The middle circle was the head of the twelve gods of Olympus in ancient Greece, and there was an animal on the left side of each head. The high embossed in the center of the plate was a young male Dionysus leaning on a leopard and holding a scepter. He symbolized harvest and plants in ancient Greek mythology, especially known as the God of Wine. In the summer of 1988, a farmer in Beitan Township of Jingyuan County found this silver plate when he was digging the foundation of a house. There was a dot inscription at the bottom of the circle. Scholars had different opinions on the interpretation of the inscription, but they all believed that the silver plate was dated to the Eastern Roman period (4th-5th century AD, about the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties in China). At that time, the Eastern Roman Empire had sent envoys to visit Northern Wei three times, and the two countries had maintained friendly relations in the early stages. This silver plate not only had extremely high artistic value and historical significance, but it was also an important witness to the cultural exchange between Chinese civilization and the world. By studying the patterns on the silver plate, one could understand the living customs and social style of ancient Rome. The novel "Gilded Palm" is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
The historical background of the gilded silver plate in Eastern Rome
Jingyuan was located at an important node of the Silk Road. It was the ancient ferry of the Yellow River that connected the Hexi and Hedong regions. There were frequent exchanges between Chinese and foreign businessmen in this area, and cultural exchanges were active. The Eastern Roman Empire had maintained friendly relations with China in the early days. According to the Book of Wei, it had sent envoys to visit the Northern Wei three times. Under such a historical background, the Eastern Roman Gilded Silver Plate appeared in China. The silver plate was an important witness to the spread of the Eastern Roman culture in East Asia and was of great significance to the study of the history of the Silk Road in China. The novel " Gilded Palm " is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
The Historical Value of the Gilded Silver Plate in Eastern Rome
The gilded silver plate of Eastern Rome had an important historical value. First of all, it was an important witness to the spread of Eastern Roman culture in East Asia, reflecting the historical facts of the Eastern Roman culture spreading to China through the Silk Road. Jingyuan was located at an important node of the Silk Road. There were frequent exchanges between Chinese and foreign merchants in this area, and cultural exchanges were active. The discovery of the silver plate indicated that there was some connection between Eastern Rome and China at that time. Secondly, the discovery of the silver plate helped to study the trade situation at that time, reflecting the prosperity of the Silk Road trade. Moreover, it provided a material basis for studying the cultural exchanges and friendly exchanges between China's Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Eastern Roman Empire. For example, the Book of Wei recorded that the Eastern Roman Empire had sent envoys to visit the Northern Wei Dynasty three times. The existence of the silver plate further confirmed the connection between the two sides during this period. Its unique design style, such as the three-layer embossed pattern on the plate, the grape scroll pattern on the outer ring, the head of the twelve gods of Olympus in the middle, and the high embossed image in the center of the plate, all provided important reference for the study of the art, religious beliefs, and cultural characteristics of the Eastern Roman period. The novel " Gilded Palm " is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
Eastern Roman Gilded Silver Plate
Gilded silver plate, Gansu
The gilded silver plate was a cultural relic from the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties. It was unearthed in Jingyuan County, Gansu Province. It was 31 centimeters in diameter, 4.9 centimeters in height, and weighed 3190 grams. It was an important Roman cultural relic discovered on the Silk Road in China and an important cultural relic that witnessed the exchange and integration of the East and the West. It was now collected in the Gansu Province Museum. The museum will be temporarily closed from October 14 to 21, 2024. It will be open as usual from October 22, 2024 (the opening hours are from Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 - 17:00, and the museum will be closed at 4:30. It will not be open on Mondays (excluding national legal holidays)). You can book tickets through the real-name system of the wx public account of Gansu Province Museum (it is recommended to book three days in advance). You can enter the museum with your ID card. Group visits need to be booked 2 - 7 days in advance. In addition, the gilded silver plate (duplicate) was placed in the Jingyuan County Museum and permanently collected. The novel "Gilded Palm" is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
The Use and Effect of the Gilded Silver Plate
From the information available, some of the gilded silver plates unearthed in China might be mainly used as ritual vessels in ceremonial or sacrificial activities. In ancient times, such ritual vessels were a symbol of social status and identity. Only certain people, usually royal nobles or upper-class people, were qualified to use them. There was no information about the special effects of the Gilded Silver Plate. The novel " Gilded Palm " is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
Ancient Roman Gilded Silver Plate
The ancient Roman gilded silver plate was discovered on July 19,1988 in Beitan Township, Jingyuan County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province. The discoverer was the local farmer Xu Lihui. After the silver plate was unearthed, it attracted widespread attention in the literary and cultural circles, and many scholars at home and abroad conducted research on it. Judging from the craftsmanship and appearance, the silver plate was made by casting, hammering, and other techniques. It was silver and gilded, with a maximum diameter of 31 cm, a height of 4.9 cm, and a weight of 3190 grams. The plate was round, with curled lips, thick walls, and circular feet. It was originally gilded but most of it had fallen off. The plate was decorated with embossed patterns, which were divided into three circles: the outer circle was 16 groups of grape rolls and grass patterns that were connected to each other and evenly arranged, with birds and other animals living in them. The middle circle was ring-shaped and small, with 12 human heads inside, decorated with birds and other animals. The center part was a slightly raised circular area with a diameter of about 9.5 centimeters. It was molded into a high embossed with a silver sheet and then inlaid in the center of the plate. The pattern was of a young man sitting on the back of a lion-leopard beast. He had curly hair and no beard. His body was fit and healthy, and his upper part was bare. His abdomen was wrapped in a towel. The corners of the towel were wrapped around his elbows and hung by his side. His right hand held a pair of sticks on his shoulder. The ends of the sticks were decorated with pine cones. His posture was elegant and his expression was relaxed. The beast he was sitting on raised its head and opened its mouth. It looked fierce and ferocious. The mane under its neck was thick like a lion. Its body was covered in round spots and looked like a leopard. There were inscriptions of western system characters on the bottom of its feet. Chinese and foreign scholars mostly determined that the young man with the heart holding the staff and leaning on the beast was Dionysus in Greek mythology. Some people thought that the 12 heads in the middle circle were the 12 gods of Mount Olympus in Greek mythology, including the sun god and the moon god. Others thought that they were the descendants of Dionysus. Although there were differences in the age, origin, and interpretation of the inscriptions, scholars unanimously agreed that this silver plate was a physical witness to the ancient cultural exchange between China and the West. It was likely to have been cast in the area under the jurisdiction of ancient Rome from the 2nd century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D., and was introduced along the Silk Road in the 4th and 5th centuries and "wandered" in Gansu, China. The site where it was unearthed was Jingyuan County, an important node of the Silk Road. It was an ancient ferry crossing of the Yellow River connecting Hexi and Hedong regions. In this area, there were frequent exchanges between Chinese and foreign businessmen and active cultural exchanges. The discovery of the silver plate was of great significance to the study of the history of the Silk Road in China. It was an important witness to the spread of the culture of the Eastern Roman period in East Asia. As a typical artifact reflecting the prosperity of the Silk Road, it had been exhibited in Europe, America, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan many times. It was loved and highly praised by visitors from all over the world. The novel "Gilded Palm" is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
How to read the gilded silver plate
The pronunciation of the gilded silver plate was: The novel " Gilded Palm " is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
How to read the gilded silver plate
The pronunciation of the gilded silver plate was: The novel " Gilded Palm " is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
Tang Dynasty Silver Gilded Plate
There were many types of silver gilded plates in the Tang Dynasty, some of which were represented as follows: - ** Tang Dynasty silver plate with gilded gold Feilian pattern and six songs **: Unearthed from the cellar in 1970 in Hejia Village, the southern suburbs of Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province. It was 1.4 cm high and 15.3 cm wide. It was shaped like a six-curved sunflower. The center of the plate was raised and carved with the image of a Feilian. The Feilian pattern was created by the Tang Dynasty craftsmen by absorbing the practice of decorating foreign objects with animal patterns and integrating it into the local Feilian. It reflected the Tang people's reference and choice of foreign culture. - ** Gilded lion pattern silver plate **: Made in the Tang Dynasty, silver plate with gilded gold, 6.7 cm high, 40 cm caliber, collected in the Museum of China History. The plate is shaped like a six-curved sunflower, with an open mouth, round lips, shallow belly, wide folding edge, three feet below, and a curly leaf shape. There are six groups of flowers on the folding edge, all of which are gilded. The image of the lion is lifelike, the pattern layout is sparse and bright, and the center is decorated with only one lion, which is a prominent theme. Its shape, pattern style, and craftsmanship all had obvious characteristics of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. It was the representative work of similar artifacts in the early Tang Dynasty. - ** Great Tang Golden Flower Silver Plate (Sunflower Three-legged Lion Gilded Silver Plate)**: Unearthed in 1956 in Bafuzhuang, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, now in the National Museum of China. It was 6.7 cm high and 40 cm in diameter. It was shaped like a sunflower and had three legs below. The plate was decorated with lion patterns. There were no auxiliary patterns around it. The patterns on the edge of the plate were loose, which was in line with the characteristics of the golden flower silver plate in the Tang Dynasty. The novel "Gilded Palm" is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
How to read the Pinyin of the gilded silver plate
The Pinyin of the gilded silver plate was: The novel " Gilded Palm " is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!