The toy played with by nobles more than 2000 years ago--the 刖人守囿车

The 刖人 guarded the car. In 1979, in a tomb of a nobleman from the ancient Jin Kingdom in Shangguo Village, Wenxi County, archaeologists found a small copper car with an upside down inside the coffin. This small copper car has two large, four small and six wheels, which can be pulled forward. Small in size, 9.1 cm high, 13.7 cm long and 11.3 cm wide, it can be easily held up by an adult's palm. It is on such a small object that there are more than 20 animals carved, like a mobile zoo: there are four bears looking left and right in the four corners of the carriage, a pair of tigers lying in the middle of the two sides, and two pairs of flapping wings on the side of the carriage. For the bird that wants to fly, there are also 4 small birds with round eyes and sharp beaks on the roof of the car. In the middle is a little monkey, which is lively, playful and cute. This bronze has been buried in the ground for more than two thousand years, but there are still 15 places that can be rotated freely. In addition to the six wheels, the top cover on the carriage can be opened. As long as the monkey body is lifted by hand, the carriage can be opened. The two doors in front of the carriage can also be opened and closed arbitrarily. The most amazing thing is the four pointed-beaked birds on the car cover, which can be easily rotated with a touch of the hand, and some can even be rotated with a light breath. It turned out that the ancient craftsmen poured lead into the bird's body, so that the center of gravity fell on the thimble below, and the bird moved up and down. According to the research of experts, the copper car could completely revolve on the wind back then. These four birds should be the ancestors of my country's 'Hou Fengyi'. Therefore, in addition to its artistic value, this bronze ware is also an extremely important material in the history of science and technology in my country. On the left door of the bronze car, there is also a man who lost his left foot, with a cane in his left hand, who has been 'punished'. The door bolt is held under the armpit of the right arm, and the door bolt can also be inserted left and right to control the opening and closing of the door. Who is this little bronze man? Experts found the answer in ancient books. In 'Zhou Li·Qiu Guan·Slap Slaughter'囿' was the garden where the ancient emperors and nobles kept animals. This sentence meant that people who had been tortured should guard the garden where the nobles kept animals. This small bronze car is a good testimony to the history of the 刖囖四, and proves that the cruel punishment of '刖' actually existed in the Western Zhou Dynasty. The name is 'Kuanren Guarding the Car'. The 刖人守囿车 is a toy that nobles played with more than 2,000 years ago, and it is also an orphan in this type of cultural relic. In 1977, Hebei Province unearthed some delicate small bronze wares, such as ox, rhinoceros, tiger, small round pots, etc., all of which have inscriptions on their bodies, which are called 'watching devicesToys, artwork. But the guardian car is the most beautiful of all similar artifacts.