Item number: A1640

Year: 403–221 BC

Material: Bronze

Size: 56.1 x 21.3 x 1.4 mm

Weight: 5.85 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps & Coins Collection 2014

This is a fish-shaped bronze artefact cast during the Warring States period (403–221 BC). The entire piece exhibits a paulownia-green patina. The fish has an elongated body with a dorsal fin and two pairs of ventral fins, though it lacks detailed features such as scales. Near the head, there is a circular perforation, likely used for suspension.

Bronze fish artefacts are predominantly found in the tombs of middle to high-ranking nobles from the Western Zhou to the middle Spring and Autumn period, mainly near the areas close to the Zhou royal capitals in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan provinces. This geographical distribution highlights the close connection between these objects and Zhou culture. The debate over whether bronze fish served as a form of currency in ancient China has persisted since the Republican era. Supporters, such as the numismatist Zheng Jiaxiang, argue that bronze fish were derived from shell currency transactions among the ancient inhabitants of the Yellow River region. Given that bronze fish are often unearthed alongside seashells, which have monetary characteristics, many auction houses and collectors have subsequently classified them within the category of currency.

Since the 1970s, systematic archaeological excavations by the Chinese government focusing on the ancient era have increasingly indicated that bronze fish were not currency but purely burial ornaments. A key reason is that bronze fish have only been unearthed from tombs and not from residential sites, cities, or other living spaces, often in quantities ranging from dozens to hundreds. If bronze fish had served as circulating currency, their discovery sites and quantities would likely be more widespread. Additionally, there has been no evidence of bronze fish being stored in the “hoards” used for keeping currency during the Spring and Autumn period.

Scholars supporting the theory that bronze fish were burial ornaments primarily reference the “Book of Rites,” a work describing Zhou dynasty funeral customs, particularly the chapter “Greater Record of Mourning Rites.” This text mentions that the coffins of nobles above the rank of Dafu (a high-ranking royal) were adorned with fish-shaped decorations. As the carriage transported the coffin to the cemetery, these fish-shaped ornaments, made of jade or bronze, were said to mimic the lively leaping of fish on the surface of a pond.

物件編號: A1640

年代: 公元前 403-221 年

材料: 青銅

尺寸: 56.1 x 21.3 x 1.4 mm

重量: 5.85 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚戰國時代 (公元前403-221年) 之際打造的魚形青銅器，通體呈現桐綠色，魚的外觀修長有一副背鰭和兩副腹鰭，不過沒有魚鱗等更加詳細的細節，靠近頭部的部位有一個穿繫用的圓孔。

銅魚多發現於西周至春秋中期的中高級貴族墓葬中，地點則靠近周天子近畿的陝西、山西和河南一帶，能見此物件和周文化的密切關聯。關於銅魚是否為中國上古時期的貨幣，自民國以來學界就有爭論。支持者如錢幣學家鄭家相先生，認為銅魚是承襲自上古黃河一帶居民的貝幣交易。加以銅魚多跟具貨幣性質的海貝一同出土，故許多拍賣行和收藏家順勢將其劃為錢幣的範疇。

然而1970年代起，隨著中國政府針對上古時代的考古進行系統性挖掘，有越多證據顯示銅魚並非貨幣，而是單純的陪葬飾品。主要的原因是銅魚僅出土於墓葬中，並未在居址、城池等生活場域出土，往往僅有數十到數百件數量出土。若銅魚具有貨幣的流通性質，其出土地點和數量應該要更為普及。此外，並且未發現銅魚以春秋時期保管錢幣的「窖藏」保藏行為。

支持陪葬品說的學者，主要以孔子描繪到周代喪俗的著作《禮記》作為論證，其中〈喪大記〉篇章提及：大夫以上的貴族棺槨會懸掛魚形裝飾。當馬車載運棺槨前往墓地時，以玉或銅製成的魚形飾品就像活生生的魚在池面跳躍。