Item number: A1660

Year: 202 BC-AD 9

Material: Gold

Size: 62.5 x 62.8 x 7.5 mm

Weight: 249.0 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2018

This is a concave gold ingot from the Western Han Dynasty that circulated as currency. The ingot is round, with its obverse side slightly concave and exhibiting a network of fissured patterns. Upon closer examination, thirteen evenly spaced vertical lines can be observed in the upper left section, a feature also found on gold ingots unearthed from a Western Han tomb in Guangxi in AD 1979. The reverse side appears rougher, with numerous irregular cracks and protrusions.

The circulation of gold ingots in Chinese history can be traced back to the Warring States period, with the state of Chu being the earliest known issuer. Subsequently, gold ingots were officially recognised as currency during the Qin and Han dynasties. The most significant archaeological study of gold ingots to date comes from the AD 2015 excavation of the tomb of Liu He, the Marquis of Haihun, in Nanchang, Jiangxi.

Liu He was the grandson of Emperor Wu of Han. Following the death of Emperor Zhao, he was brought to Chang’an by the powerful regent Huo Guang and ascended the throne as the new emperor. However, Liu He reigned for only 27 days before being deposed by Huo Guang under the pretext of “indulgence in debauchery and lack of propriety,” as he resisted being manipulated. He was replaced by Liu Xun, who became Emperor Xuan of Han. After his deposition, Liu He was exiled to Nanchang and given the dishonourable title “Marquis of Haihun,” under which he lived the remainder of his life. Despite his fall from power, his burial was accompanied by a wealth of grave goods, which were remarkably well preserved, as his tomb remained untouched by looters.

Archaeologists discovered a variety of gold burial artifacts in Liu He’s tomb, including not only circular gold ingots but also uniquely designed gold pieces known as “Horse-hoof Gold” (馬蹄金) and “Linchi Gold” (麟趾金). The circular gold ingots unearthed from the Marquis of Haihun’s tomb have an average diameter of approximately 63 mm and a weight of 247 grams. Given the close resemblance between these ingots and the object in our collection, it is reasonable to infer that our specimen was likely produced during the Western Han period.

物件編號: A1660

年代: 公元前 202-公元 9 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 62.5 x 62.8 x 7.5 mm

重量: 249.0 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2018

這是一枚西漢時期，得以作為貨幣流通的凹面金餅。金餅整體外觀為圓形，正面微微向下凹陷並且帶有龜裂的紋理。仔細觀察的話，還能在左上方發現十三條大小相仿有順序排列的豎條，這種特徵在公元1979年廣西西漢古墓出土的金餅上也有類似的發現。金餅背面顯得較為粗糙，有許多大小不一的裂縫和突起。

金餅在中國歷史上的流通使用，最早能上溯到戰國時期的楚國為濫觴，後續在秦朝和漢朝也成為受到官方承認的貨幣之一。目前對於金餅最大的發掘研究來自公元2015年江西南昌的海昏侯劉賀墓的出土。

劉賀為漢武帝的孫子，當漢昭帝駕崩之際為權臣霍光迎入長安，登基為新任黃帝。然而劉賀僅僅在位27天，就因為不甘受到擺布而遭到霍光以「荒淫迷亂有失禮節」為由遭到罷黜，改立劉詢為漢宣帝。遭到罷黜後的劉賀遭到流放至南昌，並且以帶有汙名的「海昏侯」頭銜度過一生，不過隨其下葬的陪葬品仍十分豐富，且由於未曾遭到盜竊而保存完整。

考古學家在墓葬中發現多種樣式的黃金陪葬品，除了圓形金餅外，尚有名為「馬蹄金」和「麟趾金」等造型設計的黃金飾品。海昏侯墓出土的圓形金餅直徑平均落在63 mm，重量則是247公克，和本館收藏的物件相異不大，由此能推斷本館藏品的製造年代落在西漢左右。