Black Jade Dragon Statue Human & Animal Sacrifices 200+Pictographs w/Translation

Description

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
Artifacts, Antiques, & Fine Collectibles
Neolithic Chinese Temple Offering of a Jade Dragon Praying
Ritual Offerings of Human & Animal Sacrifices by the Sons
of the Dragon Emperor to the Son of
Shang Di
(
上帝
)
Over 200+ Ancient Pictographic Characters
English Translation Provided
Hongshan Culture
c.
4,700 BC—2,900 BC
“In the Presence of the Supreme God of Heaven Shang Di (
上帝)
and My Ancestors, the Sons and Grandsons of this Dragon Emperor Offer These Many Human and Animal Sacrifices, this Precious Jade Dragon Statue, a Libation of Poured Wine, and the Meat from Sacrificed Animals to Honor Shang Di and the Souls of Our Dragon Ancestor, Who We Pray May Safely Journey to Heaven (Tian) and Eternally Live with His Ancestors.”
~Expanded Translation by W.D. Houghton, Ancient Civilizations
“A Dragon can be unseen or visible, minute or huge,
long or short.  However, always it is great.”
~Shuo Wen (c. 100 AD)
Summary
Item:
Neolithic Chinese Temple Offering of a Jade Dragon Praying
Material:
Nephrite jade, with incised and painted pictographic characters
Chinese Dynasty:
Hongshan Culture. The Hongshan culture was a Neolithic culture in the Liao river basin in northeast China. Hongshan sites have been found in an area stretching from Inner Mongolia to Liaoning, and dated from about 4700 to 2900 BC. The culture is named after
Hongshanshou
, a site in Hongshan District, Chifeng.
Est. Date:
3,500 BC
Approximate Measurements:
·
Length:
5.70” (145mm)
·
Width:
1.09” (28mm)
·
Height:
2.25” (57mm)
·
Weight:
8.7 oz. (246gr)
Condition:
Very good museum quality with correct jade patina.
Some of the mineral deposits and micro-crystalline jade white jade in the cut lines has been professional removed by the previous owner in China. Although not normally recommended, this conservation does expose the beauty of the Dragon statue and allows us to transcribe and translate some of the small, pictographic symbols/characters that are some of the earliest written language ever used in Neolithic China some 5,500-years-ago.
Further antiquity evidence includes diffusive markings and calcification and a wide variety of characters that could only be found on authentic and original Neolithic Chinese ritual jades.
Provenance/History:
Formerly in a private family collection in China for nearly 65 years.
This statue has never been exhibited anywhere in the world or has the symbolic meaning revealed and some of the 200+ pictographic characters translated until it was acquired by this author.
The statue is now part of a private collection in the State of Washington.
The Chinese believe that there are three (
San
) main forces that constitute the whole of existence:
Heaven (
Tian
), Earth, and Man.
The best example of explaining the importance of three is the description of the most significant Chinese animal—the Dragon, which is said to consist of three main sections: head to shoulders; shoulders to loins; and loins to the tip of his tail.
{Chinese Art, pg. 225}
“A Dragon can be unseen or visible, minute or huge,
long or short.  However, always it is great.”
—Shuo Wen (c. 100 AD)
This jade Dragon statue is over 5,000-years-old and dates to the Hongshan Culture (4,700 BC—2,250 BC) in China.
It contains the written documentation of a massive, sacrificial offering by the sons and grandsons at the death of their father/grandfather—a Dragon Emperor or an immediate member of his family.
The Hongshan Culture Emperor was thought to be the embodiment of the
Son of the Supreme God of Heaven,
Shang Di
, who was an omnipotent Dragon.
This small, 5.7” long statue contains an inscription of an estimated 200+ pictographic characters incised into every surface of the praying Dragon! This extensive number of characters on a Neolithic piece of jade is unique, as most early jade artifacts have no characters or perhaps 3-5.
These characters can be found on all sides of the Dragon, including:
·
On the top;
·
On the bottom;
·
On his head;
·
On his snout;
·
On his tail;
·
In the narrow, cut lines that separate the three parts or folds of the Dragon;
·
On the inside surface of the suspension hole;
·
And even on the surface of both the Dragons eyes and eyelids/eyebrows!
The incised pictographs range in size from about 4mm to
less than 1mm
, and are best viewed under 4x or 10x magnification!
Utterly AMAZING
!!
These tiny characters were not meant to be read by human eyes, but rather only suitable for the sacred eyes of the gods and ancestors.
I have translated into English the larger ones and those that I can see clearly enough.
{See my detailed translation below.}
DETAILS
This Neolithic Chinese stone statue in the shape of the sacred, omnipotent Dragon is approximately 5,000-years-old and dates to the Hongshan Culture.
Historically, the Chinese dragon was associated with the Emperor of China, who claimed to be the Son of the Supreme God in Heaven
Shang Di
.
For millennia, Chinese Emperors
used the image of a Dragon as a symbol to represent their power and only the Emperor could use this image—others would be put to death immediately.
There is a dedication of approximately 200+ tiny characters pecked, incised, and even painted on this small amulet.
Some tiny characters were painted inside the suspension hole on the Dragon, as they were not meant to be read by human eyes, but rather only suitable for the sacred eyes of the gods and ancestors.
I have translated into English the larger ones and those that I can see clearly enough.
{See my detailed translation below.}
Inside and on the surface of each of the jade cut lines on the Dragon statue there are tiny, white, micro-crystalline jade crystals that can only form on carved jade that has been buried in damp soil for millennia.
These tiny white crystals are very delicate and can be destroyed even with an edge of a fingernail.
It is imperative that extreme care be taken so as not to destroy these crystals any further, as they are the definitive proof that a piece of jade dates to the Neolithic era of China.
These crystals can especially be seen in the top, suspension hole, which is classified as a "ox-nose loop hole."
The once green nephrite jade from the sacred mountains in China has turned a wonderful shade of very dark green after being buried for over 5,000 years in the damp soil and absorbing the minerals.
It dates to what modern archaeologists call Neolithic China’s Hongshan Culture that existed from about 4,700 BC to 2,250 BC on the banks of the Liao River basin in northeast China in what is now the modern province of Liaoning.
Because of the style of the statue and the type of extremely early, Neolithic Chinese graphic characters found on this statue, I estimate it was made by an imperial Hongshan craftsman in about 3,500 BC—or 5,500-years-ago.
The image of a Dragon was considered so precious that only the Sons of
Shang Di
—the Emperors and Warlords who ruled Neolithic China—were allowed to use the image.
Anyone else who used or tried to use the image of a Dragon, especially a five-clawed one, would be immediately sentenced to death.
The Four Sacred Mountains—and later in Chinese history a fifth mountain range was added—were thought to be alive and were actually the Son of the Supreme God in Heaven “
Shang Di
”
上帝
. This meant that the Son did not just live in the mountains, but that he was
literally
the mountain.
This all-powerful Son of the God
Shang Di
communicated with his father
Shang Di
to influence all life on Earth (both animate and inanimate) and, most importantly, the Emperor’s imperial power over all humans on Earth.
The Son of
Shang Di
was thought to have enormous and unlimited powers to affect the weather, rain, droughts, floods, typhoons, harvest, hunts, and the daily lives of each of the inhabitants of the Emperor’s Kingdom.
Translation of Pictographic Characters
NOTE:
William D. Houghton, the President of ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
, a State of Washington Licensed Business,
assumes all responsibility for the information contained in this description and for the English translation and transcription of the ancient Chinese graphic characters.
Furthermore, I prohibit the further dissemination of this information in any written, video, or electronic format without my expressed, written approval.
Thank You!
As noted above, this unique Dragon statue contains an estimated 200+ ancient, Chinese pictographic characters that have been incised and pecked into the amulet.
The characters were normally written to document sacrifices and prayers to the Ancestors, and to plead that they accept the soul of the departed into Heaven (
Tian
) for eternal life.
We know that this amulet was made in the mid-Hongshan Culture (4700 BC—2250 BC) because of the characters on this amulet, as this Neolithic culture used this type of character/word (also called graphics) from 3,800 BC until about 3,000 BC.
This style of writing called
Shuowen Jiezi
was used before the next type of Chinese characters were used to form a written language that we now call Seal Script or
Ku’wen
.
{Ref:
Chinese Characters
, Wieger, S.J., pg. 366.}
These amazing graphics can best be seen under 10x magnification, but even then I cannot see all of them clearly enough to decipher and translate them.
Millenia of mineral deposits and natural pitting and weathering have made it difficult for me to clearly see the tiny figures—some less than 1mm tall, and the largest is only 4 mm long.
This artwork is truly spectacular and of museum quality. Here are just a few of the characters that are engraved in the ancient pictographic script over 5,000-years-ago:
·
The Dragon statue itself represents the Supreme God in Heaven
Shang Di,
who is also receiving the offerings.
·
One of the largest characters at the top of the Dragon is that of the right hand of the Son making the sacrificial offers to the Gods and Ancestors.
·
Another large character that looks like the letter “I” or “
Kung
” in Chinese and means superior skill or perfect work in Chinese.
This symbol is used to signify to the Ancestors and Gods in Heaven (in Chinese
Tian
) that the soul who was passed was a worthy man whose life on Earth was perfect and thus worthy to enter and live with the Ancestors for eternity.
·
Ancestors in Heaven looking at the sacrifice that is being offered to them, including: jade, wine, and raw meat. {See photo # 4 inside the Red circle you can see a stick figure with a round head—that’s an ancestor.}
·
In the same photo # 4 inside the Red circle, you can see the image of a Heaven Bird, which was thought to carry the soul of the departed man to Heaven (Tian).
·
Still in the same photo # 4, inside the Blue circle, you can see at the top one of the many animals that were sacrificed by the Sons and Grandsons.
·
Several large animals that were sacrificed by the Son and Grandsons. The son has a flint knife in his hand. {See photo # 5 inside the Red, Purple, & White circles.}
·
More animal sacrifices by the Son. {See photo # 6 Inside the Purple Circle.}
·
More animal sacrifices, this time by the Sons and young Grandsons, who are pictures as frog like creatures with 4 legs that are between the legs of their fathers. {See photo # 8 Inside the Yellow circle.}
·
A RARE image of a human sacrifice as the victim is depicted kneeling before the Son, who is shown holding a flint axe. (See photo # 12 Inside the White circle.}
·
In the same photo # 12, inside the Yellow circle. see yet another animal sacrifice by a Son.
·
In the same photo # 12, see approximately 30+ untranslated characters in side the large, Yellow circle.}
·
A Son offering money (cowries) to the Ancestors.
·
A libation of poured wine.
·
Several characters of “Man” or “
Jen
.”
·
Images inside the Dragon’s right eye and on his eyebrow. {See photo # 10 Inside the circle.}
·
Images inside the Dragon’s left eye and on his eyebrow. {See photos # 7 & 9 Inside the White circle.}
·
The soul of the departed man inside the hole surface as he journeys towards Heaven. And a Heaven Bird flying towards the stars and carrying the prayers of Earth to Heaven.
{See photos 3, 11, & 12.}
·
And over an estimated 200+ other graphics/characters.
Here is my rough and expanded translation of the many pictographic characters and symbols contained on the jade Dragon.
My apologies in advance for any errors that are solely those of this author:
“In the Presence of the Supreme God of Heaven Shang Di (
上帝)
and My Ancestors, the Sons and Grandsons of this Dragon Emperor Offer These Many Human and Animal Sacrifices, this Precious Jade Dragon Statue, a Libation of Poured Wine, and the Meat from Sacrificed Animals to Honor Shang Di and the Souls of Our Dragon Ancestor, Who We Pray May Safely Journey to Heaven (Tian) and Eternally Live with His Ancestors.”
In ancient times, inscriptions and dedications to honor the deceased were oftentimes inscribed in places that only the Ancestors and Gods could see, or made so small that only the Ancestors could read them.
It was believed that mere mortals were not worthy to read inscriptions meant only for the eyes of departed Ancestors in Heaven (
Tien
).
It appears that there are pictographs inscribed inside the elongated, center hole that represents the clouds in Heaven.
REFERENCES:
·
Human Sacrifice in History and Today
, Nigel Davies
·
The Ancestral Landscape
, David N. Knightley, 2000
·
Chinese Characters,
Dr. L. Wieger, S.J.
·
The Great Bronze Age of China
:
An Exhibition from the People’s Republic of China
, edited by Wen Fong, 1980
·
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
·
Ancient Chinese Warfare
, Ralph D. Sawyer, Mei-chün Sawyer
·
Archaeology
, Archaeological Institute of America, Feb/March 2015
·
Shanghai Museum, China
·
Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, China
·
National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
·
British Museum
·
Smithsonian Museum, Sackler & Freer Gallery, WDC
RESEARCH
I have carefully examined this ancient jade amulet and I GUARANTEE it to be original and authentic! I’ve looked under 10x-20x magnification under both natural and Black Light and I can find no signs of any modern tool work or repairs. The hand tool marks left in the jade by the master stone artist who carved, shaped, and engrave this work of art appear to be consistent with those marks of other ancient jades I have examined.
Each object I sell is professionally researched, translated (if I can...(smile), and compared with similar objects in the collections of the finest museums in the world. I have been dealing in fine antiquities for over 45 years and although certainly not an expert in every field, I have been honored to appraise, buy, collect, and enjoy and recently sell some of the finest ancient art in the world. When in doubt, I have worked with dozens of subject matter experts to determine the condition and authenticity of numerous antiquities and antiques. This careful examination helps to insure you are buying quality items and helps to protect your investment. There are many modern reproductions or "fakes" on the market today, so be sure and buy only from experts in the field.
NOTE:
This statue is unconditionally guaranteed original and authentic.
It was legally imported to the United States and is legal to sell and own under U.S. Statute Title 19, Chapter 14, Code 2611, Convention on Cultural Property.
Please examine the macro photos taken indoors carefully, as they are part of the description.
The stand is not part of the auction, just included to give you a better perspective.
And please ask any questions before you buy.
Per e-Bay's rules, PayPal only please!  THANKS!
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