青銅筆記 vol.49 陝西清澗寨溝遺址：青銅鑲嵌綠松石燕形器 - The Zhaigou Site in Qingjian, Shaanxi, A Swallow-Shaped Turquoise-Inlaid Bronze Belt Buckle, Shang Dynasty

這件商代青銅鑲嵌綠松石燕形器出土於陝西省榆林市清澗縣解家溝鎮寨溝村的寨溝遺址。該遺址自2022年開始系統發掘，2023年5月30日通過國家文物局「考古中國」重大項目進展會公布重要發現。此器出自遺址後劉家塔墓地的高等級墓葬（M1），屬商代晚期（約公元前13世紀至前11世紀）。

This turquoise-inlaid bronze swallow-shaped ornament (belt buckle) was unearthed at the Zhaigou Site in Zhaigou Village, Xiejia gou Town, Qingjian County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province. Systematic excavations at the site began in 2022, with major discoveries announced on May 30, 2023, during a National Cultural Heritage Administration “Archaeology China” progress conference. The artifact was recovered from a high-status tomb (M1) in the Houliujiata cemetery area and dates to the late Shang dynasty (c. 13th–11th century BCE).

燕形鑲綠松石銅帶扣，短喙微張，雙翅舒展，魚尾形燕尾翻飛，通體精鑲綠松石，斑斕絢麗，極具動感與神韻。這件器物造型為一隻展翅高飛的玄鳥，短喙、展翼與剪尾相得益彰，背面設有橫梁構造，應為束腰革帶或高等級服飾配飾之用。其工藝登峰造極：工匠先在青銅基體上鑄出規整凹槽，再將打磨精準的綠松石片逐一嵌入，並以特殊黏合劑牢固結合，充分展現商代晚期綠松石鑲嵌工藝的最高水準。此燕形設計，與《詩經·商頌·玄鳥》「天命玄鳥，降而生商」之記載高度契合，深刻體現商文化對鳥圖騰的尊崇，是宗教信仰、天命祥瑞與貴族身份的完美統一。

陝西清澗寨溝遺址

商代晚期，周邊方國林立。甲骨文所見北方與西方方國近七十餘個，與商王朝或戰或盟，交往密切，共同構築了商王朝廣闊的政治版圖。考古發現顯示，陝北黃土高原乃商代方國重要聚居區之一，為研究中華多民族國家形成與發展提供了關鍵實證。

自20世紀40年代以來，陝北地區已發現大量商代青銅器，主要集中於清澗、綏德、子洲、子長、延川、延長等縣近四十處地點，出土器物逾二百件。陝西省考古研究院曾在此區域展開系統發掘，包括1983–1991年清澗李家崖遺址、2012–2016年辛莊遺址，均發現大型夯土建築與鑄銅遺存，為探究商代北方區域考古學文化提供了重要材料。近年的調查進一步表明，該地區商代遺址密集分布，尤其以清澗、綏德兩縣及周邊最為集中。

寨溝遺址位於陝西省榆林市清澗縣解家溝鎮寨溝村，地處陝北黃土高原核心地帶。其文化內涵與李家崖、辛莊遺址一脈相承，均屬商代李家崖文化遺存。與以往發現相比，寨溝遺址規模宏大、等級較高、要素完備、青銅器出土密集，顯示其在商代晚期很可能是一處重要的區域政治中心。

The swallow-shaped turquoise-inlaid bronze belt hook features a short beak slightly open, wings fully outstretched, and a forked fish-tail shape, its entire body exquisitely encrusted with turquoise pieces that shimmer with vibrant color and dynamic spirit. This artifact depicts a soaring mythical bird in flight, with its short beak, extended wings, and scissor-like tail forming a harmonious and graceful composition. The reverse side is equipped with a transverse bar, suggesting it functioned as a high-status belt fastener or elite garment ornament.

The craftsmanship is of the highest order: artisans first cast precise grooves into the bronze substrate, then meticulously fitted and bonded polished turquoise inlays using specialized adhesives. This exemplifies the pinnacle of turquoise inlay technology achieved in the late Shang dynasty.

The swallow motif resonates profoundly with the verse in the Book of Songs (Shi Jing): “Heaven commanded the Dark Bird to descend and give birth to Shang,” reflecting the Shang culture’s deep veneration of bird totems. It embodies the seamless integration of religious belief, heavenly mandate, auspicious omens, and aristocratic identity.

The Zhaigou Site in Qingjian, Shaanxi

During the late Shang dynasty, numerous peripheral polities surrounded the Shang core. Oracle bone inscriptions record nearly seventy northern and western fangguo (regional states), which maintained complex relations—sometimes hostile, sometimes allied—with the Shang court, together forming the broader political landscape of the Shang realm. Archaeological discoveries increasingly demonstrate that the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi was a major distribution area for these Shang-period fangguo, providing crucial evidence for the formation and development of China’s multi-ethnic state.

Since the 1940s, a large number of Shang bronzes have been discovered across northern Shaanxi, primarily concentrated in nearly forty locations across Qingjian, Suide, Zizhou, Zichang, Yanchuan, and Yanchang counties, totaling over two hundred pieces. Systematic excavations by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology in the region include the 1983–1991 Liujiaya site and the 2012–2016 Xinzhuang site in Qingjian, both of which yielded large rammed-earth structures and bronze-casting remains—key materials for studying Shang archaeological cultures in northern regions. Recent surveys further confirm that Shang sites are densely distributed here, particularly in Qingjian and Suide counties and their vicinities.

The Zhaigou site is located in Zhaigou Village, Xiejia gou Town, Qingjian County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, at the heart of the northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau. Its cultural characteristics closely parallel those of the Liujiaya and Xinzhuang sites, belonging to the Shang-period Liujiaya culture. Compared with previously discovered sites of this culture, Zhaigou stands out for its large scale, high rank, complete set of features, and dense concentration of bronze artifacts. All indications suggest that during the late Shang period, it served as a significant regional political center.