◇ Heritage No. :
◇ Collection Name:copper flat pot
◇ Historical date:Western Han dynasty
◇ Collection Size:H 33.6, w 42.7cm
◇ Collection Source:Tomb of Han and Chu kings in Shizishan, Xuzhou
The bronze flat pot was found in the large bronze mirror of the second side room in the west of the tomb with a simple look, a wide duckbill shaped mouth, symmetrical handles on the shoulders, flat round pot body, and a ring button on the back, round bottom and round foot. In 2005, two same flat pots were unearthed in the funerary pit of Yangguishan. The copper flat pot is the same as the bath utensils such as silver basin and bronze mirror. It belongs to the bath utensil and is used to scoop water or water the bather when bathing. Flat pot appeared in the Spring and Autumn period. It became a common utensil in the Western Han Dynasty. It can be made of lacquers and wood artifacts or copper. The copper flat pot has garlic shape, round straight mouth with lid and also has a lifting beam. Garlic copper flat pot mainly existed in the early Western Han Dynasty, which was influenced by Qin culture. From the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, the flat pot absorbed the Han style. In this period, the flat pot has a special shape, which is different from the normal flat pot prevalent at that time. Some scholars believe that this kind of flat pot originated from Central Asia and is the product of cultural exchange and integration between China and the West. Some scholars also think that the emergence of flat pot in the Central Plains may be closely related to the spread of nomadic culture in the north. This kind of flat pot has been found in the tombs of the king of Chu in Shizishan and the Funerary Pits of Yangguishan and has unearthed four pieces. The shapes and sizes of the flat pots are not the same. They are less likely to be produced in Central Asia. It is likely that the craftsmen of Chu state designed and made them by absorbing the factors of nomadic culture of grassland. This kind of flat pot is also one of the most distinctive utensils used by the royal family of Chu.