TLV mirror
A TLV mirror is a type of bronze mirror that was popular during the Han dynasty in China. They are called TLV mirrors because symbols resembling the letters T, L, and V are cast in the design. They were produced from around the 2nd century BCE until the 2nd century CE.
Development
The first mirrors with TLV symbols appeared during the 2nd century BCE, with some believing that they were related to
In the later part of the
Mirrors from the
Symbolism
Scholars are engaged in a debate as to what the symbols on TLV mirrors mean. Some scholars believe that they represent ideas from
Cosmological significance
TLV mirrors are circular. At their centers is a circular boss inset on a square panel. According to Schuyler Camman, the design of TLV mirrors was cosmologically significant. The V shapes served to give the inner square the appearance of being placed in the middle of a cross. This forms an illustration of the Chinese idea of the five directions – North, South, West, East and Center. The central square represents China as the ‘Middle Kingdom.’ The area in between the central square and the circle represented the ‘Four Seas.’ During the Han dynasty the ‘Four Seas’ represented territories outside China, and did not literally refer to water. The central square within the round mirror likely alludes to the ancient Chinese idea that heaven was round and earth was square. The Ts represented the concept of the ‘Four Gates of the Middle Kingdom,’ an idea present in Chinese literature. They could have also represented the idea of the four inner gates of the Han place of sacrifice, or the gates of the imperial tombs built during the Han period. The Ls possibly symbolized the marshes and swamps beyond the ‘Four Seas,’ at the ends of the earth. The bending of the Ls could possibly have served to create a rotating effect which symbolized the four seasons, which were very closely related to the cardinal directions. The nine nipples in the central square likely represented the ‘nine regions of the earth as discussed by Cammann as having come from the Shiji. The eight nipples outside of the central square were most likely a representations of the Eight Pillars, mountains that held up the canopy of heaven. The area between the inner round border and the outer rim of the mirror was often filled with swirls that represented the clouds in heaven.
The game of liubo
In 1947 Professor
See also
Notes
- ^ Bulling, (1960), 20.
- ^ Bulling, (1960), 22.
- ^ Bulling, (1960), 38.
- ^ Bulling, (1960), 42.
- ^ Bulling, (1960), 52.
- ^ Bulling, (1960), 51.
- ^ Yang, Lien-sheng (1 February 1947). "A Note on The So-called TLV Mirrors and The Game Liu-po". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 9 (3/4): 202–206.
- ^ Yang, Lien-sheng (June 1952). "An Additional Note on the Ancient Game of Liu-po". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 15 (1/2): 124–139.
- ^ 周铮 (Zhou Zheng). "规矩镜"应改称"博局镜" ["Geometric mirrors" should be called "Liubo pattern mirrors"]. 考古 (Archeology) (in Chinese). 1987 (12): 1116–1118.
References
- Cammann, Schuyler. “The ‘TLV’ Pattern on Cosmic Mirrors of the Han Dynasty”, Journal of the American Oriental Society, 68.3-4 (1948), 159–167.
- Bulling, Anneliese. The Decoration of Mirrors of the Han Period: A Chronology. Ascona: Artibus Asiae, 1960.
- Yang, Lien-sheng. “An Additional Note on the Ancient Game of Liu-po”, Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 15.1-2. (1952), 124–139.