WANG Zhennan and WANG Rong.....................................................88
On the records of jade sacrifice liaoyu in oracle bone inscriptions

Abstract：Jade sacrifice appeared in the Neolithic Age of China. As an important form of sacrifice, Liaoyu, to burn jade artifacts, was recorded in oracle bone inscriptions. At present, scientific archaeology and other methods are capable of determining whether the unearthed jade artifacts were artificially burned, which, therefore, could enrich the physical data of Liaoyu. However, the oracle inscriptions about Liaoyu are absent for systematic investigations. Moreover, the specific purpose and methods of Liaoyu are in need to be discussed in combination with oracle bone inscriptions. Through an examination of 1623 oracle bone inscriptions, this article provides evidence and supplements for Liaoyu in the aspects of jade sacrifice rituals, objects of liaoyu sacrifice and jade artifacts.

PENG Xiaojun.............................................................................................96
On the bivalve bowls and bivalve food-serving vessels dou of the Qujialing Culture

Abstract：The set of stemmed bowls being covered by the same artifacts（koudou and kouwan）originated in the Youziling Culture, flourished in the Qujialing Culture, and continued to the Shijiahe Culture. Such sets from the Qujialing Culture were previously assumed to be sacrificial utensils. However, they were unearthed from relatively diverse contexts, such as large sacrificial places, house landfill, and land leveling. Furthermore, they were of different characteristics in other regions. The author displays the remains of such sets from the Qujialing Culture to the Shijiahe Culture, which reflected the tendency from plural beliefs to monopoly as well as the expansion of the Shijiahe ideology.

HE Yuling and LI Zhipeng.....................................................................102
On the excavation of the bone-tool workshop at Huanbei Shang City and its significance

Abstract：The bone workshop was significant among the workshops zone of the Huanbei Shang City Site. This article introduces the excavation method of the bone workshop site. It aims at establishing an excavation standard for the bone workshop site excavation, which could lead to more comprehensive and accurate collections of archaeological information which lay a solid foundation of the archaeology of bone working. Furthermore, the authors briefly analyze the method of stripping the blank of worked bone, an unique bone crafting technique of the Huanbei Shang City Site, and the mechanism of blank stripping technique.

XU Longguo.............................................................................................108
An re-investigation of the sadiron and the related medical treatments from the Warring States period to the Han period

Abstract：From the beginning of the 20th century, a series of small pottery wares in standard shapes came to light successively in Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Gansu, Shandong and Guangdong. They could be divided into two types. Type A were mould made, hollow inside and full of decorations outside. Type B were made from tiles. They dated from the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han period. Their functions have been debated. AN Zhiming argued they should have been pottery shuang, while SHI Shuqing argued they should have been pottery bian. The author agrees that they should have been pottery bian or pottery sadiron for medical purposes. Type A were heated with hot water, while type B were heated in fire. Both of them were placed atop the ill body area after being heated. Such medical treatments were normally applied before or after bath. Therefore, the medical facilities were often coexistent with bath utensils.

CAO Yongge............................................................................................119
On the Five-Dynasties burial space

Abstract：Burials of the Five Dynasties consisted of three types, which are the square-shaped stone/brick tomb, the circular brick tomb and the earth pit tomb. The first two types represented the conflicts and confrontations between the central authority of the Tang Dynasty and the military polity in Hebei. While the northern polities expanded into the Central Plains, the fusion of different ethnic groups appeared in the burial system of the Five Dynasties. The circular one gradually became the main structure for burials of the high elites. The style of a coffin bed in a concave shape and a desk with two chairs also became indicative of high status. Arrogation was common in the Five-Dynasties burials. After transformations in social institutions, the hierarchical order started being re-organized. The civilian burials increased, while the wealthy ones were enrolled into the state mortuary hierarchy. The popularity of the circular burial was part of the trend. The Five-Dynasties burials inherited from the Tang system and influenced that of the Northern Song Dynasty.

ZHU Hongqiu..........................................................................................128
On the Yanling porcelain hoard in the Henan Provincial Museum

Abstract：The Yanling hoard was unearthed in 1925, the treasures from which made the earliest batch among porcelain collections of the Henan Provincial Museum. Based on a classification, the author compares the Yanling porcelain artifacts with relevant discoveries of definite dates. On basis of a comprehensive study, the author reveals the dates of the Yanling hoard as well as its porcelain. This research also discusses who buried the porcelain and why. The author concludes that the hoard was made hastily by a civilian against the warfare in the late Song and early Jin Dynasties, which directly reflected the social unrest then.

LI Jingjie..................................................................................................135
On the battlement defense facility and its origin

Abstract：How did the battlement defense facilities in the Ming and Qing Dynasties develop? What was the origin? No specific explanations have been drawn. The author proposes that the battlements in the Han culture area came into being no later than the Wei and Jin Dynasties. They became popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, and was common in the Song and Jin Dynasties. The battlements were convex in two or three steps, while the existence of holes in the battlements was random. The battlements were founded in prior to the New Babylonian Kingdom in Western Asia, which were introduced into the Han culture area in the early Sassanian period. The decorative battlements in the late period of the Sassanian Dynasty influenced Central Asia and the western regions. The battlements in northwest India, out of the influence of central India, formed regional characteristics. Because of its practicability and decoration, battlements have shaped Asian architectures profoundly.