Chapter 1841 Hidden rituals in utensils, the most important weapon of the country
These dodecahedrons range in size from about the size of a golf ball to a little larger than a baseball.
Each has 12 faces of the same size, each with a hole of a different diameter.
Moreover, the objects themselves are hollow.
By the mid-19th century, as more discoveries were made, these objects were known to archaeologists as dodecahedrons.
Today, they are on display in dozens of museums and archaeological collections across Europe.
Although little is known about them, their explanatory labels tend to be brief.
What's more, they have no written record.
Historians have found no written records of the Dodecahedron in any historical materials.
This void has encouraged dozens of competing and sometimes colorful theories about its purpose.
From military flag decorations to candlesticks to props used in magic.
In an era when metal objects were expensive and difficult to make, their apparent craftsmanship prompted many researchers to consider them valuable.
This view is supported by the fact that several have been found hidden alongside Roman-era coins, but this still does not explain why they were made.
In the 19th century, some antiquarians supported the theory that the dodecahedron was a weapon.
They believe it could be the head of a mace (a heavy-headed club), or a metal bullet used in a hand-held sling.
But as other scholars later pointed out, even the largest dodecahedrons were too light to cause much damage.
Additionally, Roman soldiers typically fired solid lead balls from their slings—they didn't look like intricate hollow dodecahedrons.
However, weapons are not the only useful items in war.
Physicists at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy believe that the dodecahedron was used by the Roman army as a kind of range finder.
No matter what kind of speculation they are, no one has been able to confirm that these speculations are correct.
Roman dodecahedrons are still being discovered today, and more may be discovered in the future.
But unless someone also finds a manual, various speculations will still not be confirmed.
In fact, these foreign things are just for curiosities at best, just to take a look at.
What attracts Chen Wenzhe the most is domestic bronzes.
For example, he later saw the ten most expensive bronzes in the country. Of course, these all had transaction records.
What does a strong man do? Plain silk mourns bronze.
Since ancient times, bronze ware has been regarded as "the most important weapon of the country".
Since the Song Dynasty, there have been collections of bronzes.
From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, due to social unrest, many handed down bronze wares were scattered overseas.
Therefore, most of the world's high-end bronze artifacts are concentrated in some countries such as Europe and the United States.
In the "Chinese Art Treasures" sale held at Sotheby's New York on September 23, 2020, the much-anticipated Warring States Period bronze pot with staggered gold and silver inlaid with glaze and milk nail pattern led the audience.
After several rounds of bidding, the auction price soared to US$7 million and was finally sold for US$8.307 million, successfully ranking among the top six bronze auctions in the world.
This is the latest auction probability. So, what are the ten most expensive bronze artifacts in the world?
This time Chen Wenzhe saw it, and it can be said that everything is not simple.
Among the 10 most expensive bronzes in the world, the 10th one is a bronze Fang Yi.
This is a bronze Fang Yi from the late Shang Dynasty, 28.5cm high, and the transaction price was US$3.33 million.
The ninth is a bronze Tianlu Fu Geng Fang Ding, from the late Shang Dynasty/early Western Zhou Dynasty, which was sold for 2.39 million pounds.
This piece was auctioned in 15 years, and at that time the British pound was before the U.S. dollar, so it ranked ninth.
If it were put now, the price would be really hard to say.
The eighth piece is a bronze Xiyou, from the late Shang Dynasty, which was sold for 25.3 million yuan.
The seventh is the bronze animal mask pattern "Er Ding" 卣, which was sold in the late Shang Dynasty for 37.95 million Hong Kong dollars.
The sixth is a bronze, gold and silver inlaid square pot with glaze nail pattern, which is the one mentioned before.
The fifth is a bronze sheep cup, something from the late Shang Dynasty, which was sold for US$27.12 million.
The fourth and fifth prices are the same, both $27.12 million.
It was a bronze pot with Taotie patterns, dating from the late Shang Dynasty.
The third is the bronze armor plate. As mentioned before, it is a bronze ware from the 5th year of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
The transaction price for this was very high, with the final transaction price being RMB 212.75 million.
The second place is the bronze Taotie pattern rectangular statue unearthed in Anyang in the late Shang Dynasty, which was sold for US$37.2 million, which is equivalent to 257,438,693 yuan in RMB.
The second is the bronze Taotie pattern square Lei, which dates from the late Shang Dynasty and is now ranked number one in the world. Of course, it is a little inaccurate due to changes in exchange rates.
Anyway, the top three can be said to be number one in the world, and that's roughly it.
But this time, Chen Wenzhe saw such expensive bronzes all at once.
Although I know that these are high imitations, the imitations are really good, especially the old-fashioned craftsmanship, which can't be seen as fake at all.
Even Chen Wenzhe couldn't see any obvious flaws at first glance, which is amazing.
Of course, these are really nothing, because they are all too famous.
Next, Chen Wenzhe saw many funny bronze wares.
Among them were steering wheels and lunch boxes, which he had not only seen before, but also bought one.
Bronze ware was called "jin" or "auspicious gold" in ancient times, among which the bronze ware from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties was the most outstanding.
However, there were relatively few bronze wares in the Xia Dynasty, and bronze wares were widely used during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.
There are many bronzes that we are familiar with, such as the Houmuwu Ding, Siyang Fangzun, He Zun, Maogong Ding, etc., all of which are important to the country.
As the saying goes, "rituals are hidden in utensils", bronze ware is a ritual system and a symbol of rank.
Therefore, bronze wares have always given us a solemn feeling. In fact, many bronze wares take another route.
For example, the "Dahe Square Tripod with Human Face Pattern" dates from the late Shang Dynasty. It is 38.5 centimeters high and weighs 12.85 kilograms.
Ancient tripods were either square or round, and square tripods were rare.
There is a human face on each side of the belly of this tripod. The face is broad, thick-lipped, and has high cheekbones. It looks like a female figure, solemn and a little funny at the same time.
This tripod was unearthed from Zhaizi Mountain in Huangcun, Ningxiang County, Nanhu Province in 1959. It was accidentally dug up by local farmers.
It was smashed into several pieces and sold to a scrapyard, and was later recovered and restored by an experienced expert in the museum.
There is an inscription "Dahe" on the inner wall of the tripod, hence its name.
This tripod is the only tripod with a human face in the world, and can be called the most "face-worthy" bronze square tripod.
In order to ensure the safety of cultural relics, they are prohibited from overseas exhibitions.
Then there is the human-faced dragon-patterned tablet, from the late Shang Dynasty, now in the collection of the Freer Museum of Art in Chou.
This bronze vessel is 18.5 cm high and 20.8 cm wide.
The image of Shrek is probably based on the shape of this bronze vessel, right? Because the two are so similar.