中英雙語話歷史 第11期:商朝(社會經濟)

Slavery system prevailed in the Shang Dynasty.

商朝時期奴隸制度佔主要地位。

Slaves were forced to engage in production, meanwhile, divisions of labor in agriculture and handicraft, as well as in manual and mental labor developed on a large scale, which promoted the ancient civilization of China.

商朝在生產力仍很低的情況下，用奴隸制殘酷的強制手段進行生產，並使農業和手工業、體力勞動和腦力勞動更大規模的分工，從而推動了我國古代文明的發展。

Animal husbandry had already had a long history during the period of oracle-bone inscriptions even record the species and genders of the animals.

畜牧業在商時期就已有了較長的發展歷史，甲骨文中甚至留有對牲畜種類和性別的記錄。

Agriculture was the major part of production.

農業是社會生產的主導。

The findings in the ruins of Yin show that the productivity reached a relatively high standard ：farm implements had been improved with ploughs, spades and sickles made of wood or stone were widely used；the primary crops included rice, millet and wheat；cellars for storing grain were built, too, by the merchants.

殷墟的考古發現顯示商代的農業已發展到相當高的水平:農具顯著改善，石制或木製的犁、鏟、鐮刀得到廣泛使用；主要的農作物有稻、粟、小麥;商人還建造了儲存穀物的廩。

Many wine vessels unearthed indicate that drinking wine was common among the nobility. Wine making and drinking symbolized the advance in agriculture.

出土的大量酒器表明貴族飲酒 是司空見慣之事。釀酒、飲酒同樣標誌着農業生產的進步。

Handicraftsmen in the Shang Dynasty were slaves separating from the agricultural activities. As professional contingent, they boosted the development of technology rapidly.

商代的手工業勞動者為奴隸，都是從農業生產中分離出來的專業技術隊伍，因此技術提高很快。

In addition to the leading industry-bronze casting, there were ceramics, bone tools making, textile, carpentry, masonry, jade work, lacquering, wine brewing etc.

代表性手工業為青銅鑄造業，此外還有製陶業、制骨器業、紡織 業、木工、石工、玉工、漆工、釀酒等業。

Iron had been discovered and was already in use. The newly excavated iron-blade bronze battle-axes have proved it. However, most of handicraft tools including axe, knife, saw, chisel, drill, needle, shovel, etc were all made of bronze.

最近發掘出土的鐵頭銅斧表明商時人們已開始使用鐵，但是大多數的手工用具，如斧頭、刀、鋸、鑿子、鑽、針、鏟等，是銅製的。

It is clear that bronze metallurgy was highly developed.

顯然，商代的鍊銅技術已發展到相當高的水平。

Bronze culture appeared in China before 3 000 BC and reached its summit around the 13th century BC.

早在3000多年前，中國就已有了鍊銅的歷史。公元前13世紀，鍊銅技術達到頂峯。

Bronze objects affected not only people’s daily life but the military weapons of the state. Its wide use enabled unprecedented accomplishments of the Shang Dynasty in politics, economy, culture and art.

青銅製品不僅與人們的日常生活息息相關，對軍隊的武器裝備 也有至關重要的影響，其廣泛使用使商朝在政治、經濟、文化、藝術方面獲得了前所未有的發展。

The bronze industry got a great expansion, which not only possessed a mass output, but a high level of technique as well.

商代的青銅業不但產量大，工藝水平也很高。

In the reign of King Wuding, the landmark was the appearance of an alloy of copper, lead and tin which had an epoch-making significance in the smelting history.

在武丁統治時期，出現了銅、鉛、錫的合金，這在冶煉史上具有劃時代的意義。

The bronze wares found in the ruins of Yin are as many as thousands of pieces. They fall mainly into two categories： cooking vessels and alcohol containers.

在殷墟一處出土的青銅器就多達幾千件，主要分為兩大類:炊具和酒器。

Among them, the most famous largest rectangular cauldron si mu wu ding can be taken as a representative of the advanced bronze metallurgy of the late Shang.

其中最著名的當數司母毋大方鼎，它是商晚期青銅冶煉技術的傑出代表。

Its height is 133 cm to the top of the handle, the opening is 110x78cm, and the weight is 875kg ,as the largest bronze ware ever found anywhere in the world.

司母戊鼎通耳高133釐米，橫長110釐米，寬78釐米，重875公斤，是迄今為止發現的世界上最大的青銅器。

The chemical analysis has showed it contains 84.77% of copper, 11.64% of tin and 2.79% of lead. The percentage meets the rigidity demand of founding bronze vessel.

有關部門的化學分析顯示，其含銅84.77% ,錫11.64%，鉛2.79%，這個比例是符合鑄造青銅容器硬度的要求的。

To finish this great work, two or three hundreds skilled craftsmen were needed to perform different tasks. The site of bronze casting excavated near Xiaotuncun in Anyang is more than 100 000m2, which was in accord with the requirement at that time.

完成如此的工程需要龐大熟練工人的分工合作，而在安陽小屯附近發現的商代鑄銅遺址的面積在10000平方米以上，正好符合當時的需要。

The white pottery appeared in the Shang Dynasty, along with the common earthen crockery. It was hard, clear and pure with delicate engravings.

商代除一般泥質陶器之外，還出現了用高嶺土（瓷土）製作的白陶，質地堅硬，色澤皎潔，刻鏤精美,工藝水平極高。

There was also a kind of primitive porcelain made of porcelain clay. Coated with blue glaze, it was solid and did not absorb water easily, for it had been fired at a temperature of 1 200^.

還有一種原始瓷器，也是用高嶺土製成，表面塗以青釉，質地堅硬，吸水性很弱，燒製的火候約在1200T左右。

The primitive porcelain was a great invention of the slaves then.

原始瓷是當時奴隸們的又一偉大創造。

The textile industry had subdivided into linen and silk.

紡織業中有麻紡織和絲織業。

Traces of silk left in the ruins of Yin are plain designed or decorative.

在殷墟發現的絲綢殘片，有平紋、花紋。

The patterns indicate that there might be simple jacquard loom at that time.

從花紋組織來看,當時可能已有了簡單的提花裝置。

Commercial exchange had grown, and businessmen began to emerge, but rare.

商代的商業交換已有初步發展，開始出現專業商人，但很少。

Whafs worth attention is that currency had been used in the business transaction, and it was called ubei?, (or shell), mostly sea shell.

值得重視的是在當時的商業交換關係中已使用了貨幣，時稱為“貝”,主要是海貝。

The shell produced in the South Sea, and it was really hard to get at the Yellow River valley, therefore, particularly valuable, and it was used as money.

海貝產於南洋，在黃河流域十分難得，因而珍貴，用作貨幣。

The oracle-bone inscriptions record the acquisition and bestowal of shells.

甲骨文中有有關貝的獲取及賞賜情況的記載。