From the Island Owner to the King

Chen Rui took an inventory and found a total of 547 bronze wares, including square tripods, round tripods, plates, swords, even squares, triplets, zun, square, gongs, gongs and other shapes.

These bronzes have the characteristics of Shang and Zhou bronzes.

As we all know, the Shang and Zhou dynasties were the heyday of the development of Chinese bronzes.

During this period, there were a large number of bronze utensils and various types, including ritual utensils, wine utensils, water utensils, and musical instruments.

Unique shape and beautiful decoration.

Another important feature of the bronzes of this period is that there are inscriptions on the bronzes of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

From the late Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, due to the popularization and use of iron utensils, copper utensils became less and less.

After the Qin and Han dynasties, with the introduction of porcelain and lacquer ware into daily life, there were fewer copper utensils, and the decoration was simple, mostly plain, and the carcass was lighter and thinner.

Therefore, Chen Rui easily judged that these bronzes belonged to the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

More precisely, these bronzes are from the Shang Dynasty.

the reason is simple.

Look at the inscription on the bronze.

The text of the Shang Dynasty was oracle bone inscriptions.

The script of the Zhou Dynasty was Zhou Zhuan.

Although the two languages ​​are in the same line, there are still significant differences.

Therefore, Chen Rui easily judged that these bronzes were from the Shang Dynasty through the inscriptions engraved on them.

At the same time, a problem can also be explained.

The source of these bronzes.

Chen Rui can confirm and affirm that these bronzes were dug up by the so-called 'archaeological discoveries' on Chinese soil by the British from the beginning of the 19th century to the middle of the 19th century.

It is clear. These bronzes come from the same place, the same age.

Chen Rui speculated that the British excavated a certain tomb or a certain Shang Dynasty site in a certain period of the Shang Dynasty from the beginning of the 19th century to the middle of the 19th century.

Set aside these Shang bronzes.

Chen Rui took a locked box found in the captain's room.

The box is made of iron. Chen Rui weighed it in his hand, it was a little heavy.

The box was tightly closed, and the rust blocked the gap in the box.

The box is watertight.

Chen Rui took a dagger, scraped off the rust on the box, and gently pried open the box.

The items in the box are kept in a dry and air-free environment for a long time, and they are very well preserved.

There are two items in the box.

Chen Rui carefully picked one up from the box.

This is the logbook of the 'Gelsopa'.

The paper is slightly yellowed.

Chen Rui glanced at it.

Voyage log records:

1941, June 9.

The 'Gair Sopa' departed from Guangzhou, China. to Liverpool, UK. Shipped a batch of Chinese bronzes and porcelain.

......

1941. June 21.

The 'Gail Sopa' entered the Strait of Malacca and docked at the Singapore Seaport to replenish coal, food and water.

The ship's chief mate, Ender Abbott, was ill and had to disembark halfway. Recuperating in Singapore, the captain temporarily appointed second mate Clenso Allen to temporarily take over from Ender Abbott, who was in charge of deck department work, in charge of navigation watch, cargo transportation management, and deck department maintenance work.

......

1941, June 23.

The 'Gelsopa' sailed out of the Strait of Malacca and entered the Indian Ocean.

All sailing is normal.

......

1941, July 12.

The 'Gelsopa' rounds the Cape of Good Hope. into the Atlantic Ocean.

All sailing is normal.

1941, July 19.

The 'Gelsopa' entered the North Atlantic, heading due north to right, at a speed of 10.2 knots.

All sailing is normal.

......

1941. July 24.

The 'Gelsopa' entered the central waters of the western part of Peking University, 520 nautical miles away from the Azores.

We were in big trouble, and suddenly there was a gust of wind on the sea, and a huge wave hit us.

The handwriting here is very sloppy, Chen Rui can imagine what kind of situation it was at that time.

outside the cabin. There was a gust of wind on the sea, and a huge wave hit the 'Gelsopa'. The boat is in danger of capsizing at any time.

At that time, the crew on duty who wrote the logbook was very nervous, so that the hand holding the pen was trembling. The writing speed was very fast, and many letters were scribbled in one stroke.

'Damn, the ship is sinking and we're done. "

The last letter 'y', the last 'skimming' stroke is very long, and a very long handwriting is drawn on the paper.

Obviously, the ship began to sink, the sea water poured in from one side of the ship, the ship tilted, and the crew on duty fell to one side involuntarily. The pen in his hand drew a long handwriting on the paper.

The logbook is an important legal document necessary for the ship. Before the sinking of the 'Gelsopa', the logbook was locked in an iron box by the crew on duty and well preserved.

In the iron box, in addition to the logbook of the 'Gelsopa', there is also a list of items shipped by 'Gelsopa'.

Bronze and Porcelain.

On the list of items, porcelain is described in great detail.

A celadon glazed bowl from Song Ru kiln.

Ming Yongle. A gourd-shaped bottle with flat belly and ears.

Ming Zhengde. A blue and white flower pattern with a halberd.

......

Qing Dynasty. A bowl with yellow ground and green color flower and bird pattern.

......

A yellow-green-colored flower-and-bird-patterned bowl clearly describes all the features of this item in very, very detail.

However, in the list of items, the description of the bronze wares, which account for the majority, is very simple and relatively uniform.

A bronze tripod with an inscription.

One piece of bronze.

A bronze tomahawk.

......

For example, a bronze tripod with an inscription, as for the name of the tripod, whether it is a square tripod or a round tripod, a three-legged tripod or a four-legged tripod, what decorations are on the tripod, what inscriptions are engraved on the tripod,... The basic features of these objects are not described, they are very unified and simple.

......

Even because the number of bronze wares in this batch was too large, the British staff who wrote the list of items at that time wrote "a batch of bronze wares" at the back of the list.

'Bronze batch'.

How many pieces of a batch, what kind of utensils, what type, is unknown.

Why is there such a coherent and simple description of the items shipped on such a very important list of items shipped on board.

Chen Rui guessed that the British probably did not figure out the origin of these bronzes.

Modern people who have a little knowledge of bronze wares see these bronze wares and recognize them a little, and they will immediately know that they are bronze wares of the Shang Dynasty.

Those who have studied bronze ware can even say that these bronze wares are from the Shang Dynasty.

But the British didn't know that.

In fact, not only the British do not know, even the Chinese do not know.

You must know that the world's understanding of the Shang Dynasty began in 1899, when Wang Yirong, an official and epigraph scholar in the late Qing Dynasty

The discovery of the oracle bones began. (To be continued)