He zun
| He zun | |
|---|---|
 He zun | |
| Material | Bronze |
| Size | 38.8cm tall, 28.8cm in diameter, weight 14.6kg |
| Created | c. 1000 BCE [1] |
| Discovered | Baoji 34°21′47″N 107°14′17″E / 34.363°N 107.238°ECoordinates: 34°21′47″N 107°14′17″E / 34.363°N 107.238°E |
The He zun (Chinese: 何尊) is an ancient Chinese ritual bronze vessel of the zun shape.[2] It dates from the era of Western Zhou (1046–771 BC),[3] specifically the first century of the dynasty,[4] and is famous as the oldest artifact with the written characters meaning "Middle Kingdom" — 中國: "China" — in a bronze inscription on the container.[5][6] Today it is in the Baoji Bronzeware Museum in Shaanxi.[2]
Dimension and significance[]
The vessel, dating to the 5th year of the reign of King Cheng of Zhou, is 38.8cm tall, 28.8cm in diameter and weighs 14.6kg.[2] Inside the container, at the base, it contains 12 rows of 122 inscribed Chinese characters.[5] Of the 122 characters, 119 are identified while 3 are unknown.[7] The inscription contains the phrase 宅