Mythological Figures on Bronzeware: Funerary Beliefs and Decorative Expressions in a Western Han Tomb (202 BCE–8 CE) in Bailuyuan, Xi’an, Shaanxi

Between March 2018 and May 2019, the archaeological team of the Xi’an Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeology excavated a Western Han tomb complex near Bailuyuan. This paper focuses on a bronze xuan with human-shaped feet discovered at tomb M21 of the complex, offering a foundation for further comparative analysis. According to the archaeological report, the Bailuyuan tomb complex, to which tomb M21 belongs, is of high status, indicating that the occupant of the main tomb held a rank no lower than a feudal lord, while the occupants of the other tombs were also likely members of the elite class. This tomb complex may belong to the accompanying tombs of the Ba Mausoleum, as it is located less than four kilometers from the mausoleum and the main tomb M1 within the complex yielded jade burial suit fragments and bronze chime bells. The central argument of this paper posits that the unusual human-shaped decoration on this xuan provides a new perspective on the significance of human-like imagery in bronzes from this and earlier periods. Such human-shaped decorations serve not only ornamental purposes but also carry symbolic meanings on cultural and religious levels, elevating them beyond mere functionality. Findings of this paper reflect that the unusual imagery in this xuan casts new light on the meaning of human-like figures in contemporaneous and even earlier bronzes.