春秋戰國 vol.14 秦國：「秦人」卜甲 - Qin, Oracle Bone with the Inscription 'Qinren'

「秦人」卜甲

西周（公元前十一世紀至前七七一年）

長三・二釐米，寬二・五釐米

陝西寶雞周原遺址出土 陝西省考古研究院藏

指甲蓋大小的一塊龜腹甲殘片，正面僅二字——「秦人」。筆劃清晰，刻劃從容。二〇二四年，周原遺址宮城南牆外壕溝下層，考古工作者自二百餘片卜甲、卜骨中揀出這枚小小的殘甲。同出有字甲骨約三十片，初步辨識刻辭一百八十餘字，內容涉及王令、諸侯往來、天文曆法，以及國族、地名。這是繼周原、周公廟之後，西周甲骨文一次重要的新發現。

周原，周人發祥之地，西周政治與禮制的核心區域。此次發掘不僅揭示先周大型夯土建築群與宮城、小城、大城三重城垣，更讓我們在王室占卜的殘片上，第一次見到「秦人」二字。這是目前考古所見對「秦」最早的文字記錄。

《史記·秦本紀》記載，秦人先祖與東方有淵源，商亡後遷居西垂；周孝王時，非子以善養馬受封於秦，賜姓嬴，始為周之附庸；至襄公護送平王東遷，始正式列為諸侯。周原出現「秦人」刻辭，說明至少在西周中期，這個群體已進入周人的政治視野與占卜記錄。它可能是族名，也可能是人名——考古隊負責人、陝西省考古研究院院長種建榮曾謹慎指出這一點，並提醒其與非子受封年代的對應關係仍待進一步證實。即便如此，這枚指甲大小的卜甲，已足以讓我們重新審視秦人早期歷史的起點。

文字一旦出現，群體便被命名、被記憶、被納入更廣闊的政治秩序。從周原這片小小的卜甲，到後來一統六國的秦，歷史的長線在此悄悄起筆。它不僅豐富了西周甲骨學與國家管理的認識，更為探索周秦關係、族群流動與早期國家形態，提供了一件極其珍貴的實物證據。

「秦人」卜甲 FAQ SACA Society for Ancient Chinese Art

一、這是一件什麼器物？

這是一件西周時期的龜腹甲殘片，長三・二釐米、寬二・五釐米，僅指甲蓋大小。正面清晰刻有「秦人」二字。它屬於卜甲，即古人用於占卜的龜甲。二〇二四年出土於陝西寶雞周原遺址，現藏陝西省考古研究院。

This is a fragment of a Western Zhou tortoise plastron, measuring 3.2 cm in length and 2.5 cm in width—roughly the size of a fingernail. The two characters “Qinren” (秦人) are clearly carved on its surface. It is an oracle bone used for divination. Excavated in 2024 from the Zhouyuan site in Baoji, Shaanxi, it is currently held by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology.

二、出土於何處？考古背景如何？

二〇二四年三月至十二月，陝西省考古研究院、北京大學考古文博學院與中國社會科學院考古研究所聯合發掘周原遺址。這枚卜甲出土於宮城南牆外壕溝下層，同出卜甲、卜骨殘片二百餘片，其中有字者約三十片，初步辨識刻辭一百八十餘字。同批甲骨內容涉及王令、諸侯往來、天文曆法（包括首次見於出土文獻的月相名「朏」）及國族、地名等，是繼周原、周公廟之後西周甲骨文的一次重要發現。

周原為周人發祥地與西周重要都邑。此次發掘同時揭示了先周大型夯土建築群與宮城、小城、大城三重城垣，進一步確認了周原作為周人政治與禮制核心區域的地位。

It was unearthed between March and December 2024 during joint excavations by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Peking University, and the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The fragment came from the lower levels of the moat outside the south wall of the palace city. More than 200 oracle shells and bones were recovered in the same context, of which approximately 30 bear inscriptions totaling around 180 identifiable characters. These include royal commands, references to regional lords, calendrical terms (notably the first excavated occurrence of the lunar-phase name fei 朏), and various place and group names. This ranks among the most significant recent finds of Western Zhou oracle-bone inscriptions after earlier discoveries at Zhouyuan and Zhou Gongmiao.

Zhouyuan was the ancestral homeland of the Zhou people and a major Western Zhou political centre. The same campaign also revealed a large pre-Zhou rammed-earth architectural complex and a system of triple city walls (palace city, small city, and large city), further confirming Zhouyuan’s role as a core zone of Zhou political and ritual activity.

三、「秦人」二字如何解讀？是否確定指後來的秦人？

刻辭僅「秦人」二字，筆劃清晰。這是目前考古所見對「秦」最早的文字記錄。

然而，學者持審慎態度。周原考古項目負責人、陝西省考古研究院院長種建榮指出：二字不一定代表後來「秦國人」的概念，也可能是人名；這批甲骨的年代下限約在西周中期，與《史記》所載非子受封的年代是否完全吻合，仍需更多證據。即便如此，它仍將「秦」的文字記載提前至西周時期，具有極高的學術價值。

The inscription consists solely of the two characters “Qinren.” This is currently the earliest archaeological textual evidence of the term “Qin.”

Scholars remain cautious. Zhong Jianrong, director of the Zhouyuan project and president of the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, has noted that the two characters do not necessarily refer to the later “people of Qin” as an ethnic or political group; they could represent a personal name. The lower chronological limit of the assemblage falls in the mid-Western Zhou, and precise correlation with the traditional date of Feizi’s enfeoffment (as recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian) still requires further confirmation. Even with this caveat, the piece significantly advances the written attestation of “Qin” into the Western Zhou period and remains of major scholarly importance.

四、這件器物對理解秦人早期歷史有何意義？

傳世文獻中，秦人早期歷史主要依賴《史記·秦本紀》。據載，秦人先祖與東方有淵源，商亡後部分遷至甘肅禮縣西犬丘一帶；周孝王時，非子因善養馬受封於「秦」，賜姓嬴，成為周的附庸；至秦襄公護送平王東遷有功，始正式列為諸侯。

周原作為周王室核心區域出現「秦人」刻辭，說明至少在西周中期，這個群體已進入周人的政治視野與占卜記錄。它為探討秦人起源、周秦關係及早期族群流動，提供了當代考古文字實證，填補了文獻與實物之間的空白。

In transmitted texts, the early history of the Qin people rests largely on the Qin Benji chapter of the Records of the Grand Historian. According to this account, the Qin lineage had eastern origins, with some groups moving to the Xiquanqiu area of present-day Li County, Gansu, after the fall of Shang. During the reign of King Xiao of Zhou, Feizi was granted the land of “Qin” for his skill in horse-breeding, received the surname Ying, and became a Zhou dependent. Full feudal status was attained only under Duke Xiang after he assisted King Ping’s eastward relocation.

The appearance of “Qinren” at Zhouyuan—the political heartland of the Zhou—indicates that a group identifiable by this name was already recognised within the Zhou royal domain by at least the mid-Western Zhou. The piece supplies contemporary archaeological textual evidence for the study of Qin origins, Zhou–Qin relations, and early population movements, bridging a long-standing gap between textual tradition and material remains.

五、它在西周甲骨學與國家管理研究中的價值是什麼？

這批甲骨反映了周王對諸侯的號令、內外服制度，以及日常占卜實踐。內容涉及天文曆法、歷史地理、軍事與國族名稱，豐富了西周甲骨文資料庫，有助於理解周原都邑的政治功能與多族群構成。

「秦人」卜甲雖體量微小、刻辭簡短，卻將一個邊地群體寫入周人的文字世界，展現了西周國家如何通過占卜與書寫來認識、管理周邊人群。

The broader assemblage illuminates royal commands to regional lords, the inner/outer domain system, and routine divinatory practice. Its content touches on astronomy and calendrics, historical geography, military affairs, and group or place names, thereby enriching the corpus of Western Zhou oracle-bone inscriptions and clarifying the political functions and multi-ethnic composition of the Zhouyuan settlement.

Though physically minute and inscribed with only two characters, the “Qinren” fragment records the entry of a peripheral group into the written world of the Zhou, illustrating how the Western Zhou state used divination and writing to recognise and administer surrounding populations.

六、這件器物目前在何處展出或研究？

它現藏於陝西省考古研究院。二〇二六年，上海博物館「肇興中國：秦·大一統之路」特展將其置於「秦·人」單元開篇，象徵秦人從邊地族群開始被文字記錄、被命名的時刻，成為展覽敘事中文明尺度的起點。

The piece is held by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology. In 2026 it featured at the opening of the “Qin People” section of the Shanghai Museum exhibition The Rise of China: The Qin Path to Unification, where it marked the moment when the name “Qin people” entered the written record—the smallest unit of civilisational self-recognition in the exhibition’s narrative.

七、研究與詮釋時應注意什麼？

考古材料的解讀必須審慎。單一字詞的出現，並不能直接等同於後來成熟的「秦國」或「秦人」族群認同。年代學、字詞用法、同出器物與整體遺址脈絡，都需綜合考慮。SACA強調以實物為本、文獻為輔、多重證據相互印證的研究方法，避免過度推論。

Interpretation of archaeological materials requires caution. The appearance of a single term cannot be automatically equated with the later mature political or ethnic identity of “Qin.” Chronology, lexical usage, associated finds, and the broader site context must all be weighed together. SACA advocates an approach grounded in material evidence, supported by transmitted texts, and verified through multiple lines of evidence, avoiding over-interpretation.

Oracle Bone with the Inscription “Qinren” (秦人)

Western Zhou period (11th century–771 BCE)

Length 3.2 cm, width 2.5 cm

Excavated from the Zhouyuan site, Baoji, Shaanxi Province

Collection of the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology

This is a tiny fragment of a tortoise plastron, roughly the size of a fingernail. On its surface are clearly carved the two characters “Qinren” (秦人, “Qin people”). It was recovered in 2024 from the lower levels of the moat outside the south wall of the palace city at Zhouyuan, as part of a larger assemblage of more than 200 oracle shells and bones (approximately 30 of which bear inscriptions, yielding roughly 180 identifiable characters).

Archaeological Context

Zhouyuan is the ancestral homeland of the Zhou people and a major Western Zhou capital site. The 2024 joint excavations by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Peking University, and the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences revealed a large pre-Zhou rammed-earth architectural complex (notably Building No. 1 at Wangjiazui) and a system of triple city walls (palace city, small city, and large city) from the Western Zhou period. The oracle bones came from the moat outside the palace city’s south wall. Other inscriptions in the same group include royal commands, references to hunting, place names, and calendrical terms (including the first excavated occurrence of the lunar-phase name fei 朏). This is one of the richest recent finds of Western Zhou oracle-bone inscriptions.

Form and Inscription

The piece is a small fragment of a turtle plastron. The only inscription consists of the two characters “Qinren,” executed with clear, legible strokes. The lower chronological limit of the assemblage is approximately the mid-Western Zhou period.

Significance

1. Earliest known archaeological textual reference to “Qin” This is currently the earliest physical evidence of the characters “Qinren” in the archaeological record, pushing the written attestation of “Qin” back into the Western Zhou period. Previously, knowledge of early Qin history depended largely on later transmitted texts such as the Records of the Grand Historian.

2. Critical value for the study of early Qin history Traditional accounts place the Qin lineage’s western settlement after the fall of Shang, with Feizi receiving a grant of land called “Qin” from King Xiao of Zhou for his skill in horse-breeding, and the lineage only attaining full feudal status under Duke Xiang after assisting King Ping’s eastward move. The appearance of “Qinren” at Zhouyuan—the political heartland of the Zhou—indicates that a group identifiable as “Qin people” was already recognized within the Zhou royal domain by at least the mid-Western Zhou. Archaeologists (including project director Zhong Jianrong) note the possibility that the two characters may represent a personal name rather than an ethnic or political designation, and that precise chronological correlation with Feizi’s enfeoffment still requires further evidence. Even with this caveat, the find remains highly significant.

3. Contribution to Western Zhou oracle-bone studies and state administration The broader assemblage illuminates royal commands to regional lords, the inner/outer domain system, and divinatory practice, enriching the corpus of Western Zhou oracle-bone inscriptions and our understanding of Zhouyuan as a multi-ethnic political center.

4. Symbolic starting point in the civilizational narrative In the 2026 Shanghai Museum exhibition The Rise of China: The Qin Path to Unification, this small oracle bone opens the “Qin People” section. It marks the moment when the name “Qin people” entered the written record—the smallest unit of civilizational self-recognition. From these two characters to the eventual unification of the six states, the fragment stands as the earliest material anchor in a long historical trajectory.

Though physically minute and inscribed with only two characters, the “Qinren” oracle bone occupies an outsized place in current research on the origins of the Qin, Zhou–Qin relations, and Western Zhou political geography. It ranks among the most noteworthy discoveries of recent Zhouyuan archaeology.