| Abstrakt: |
The inscription in question was discovered in 1973 and published in 1982. It sheds light on some aspects of the Han society which are unknown before. This essay consists of four parts. The first part deals with the inscription itself. We attempt to suggest revisions in order to clarify the doubtful points in the published transcriptions (see: Wenwu, no. 12, 1982, pp. 17-27). In the second part, this study suggests that the term fu-lao ..., or the elders was not a general term for elderly men in Han times, but a specific title for those who met certain qualification of age, virtue, and property. Fu-lao as a specific title is well documented by this inscription. The third part discusses the type of association of tan ... in Han China. For certain common interests, for instance, in trade, manufacture, land cultivation, local administration, corvée, politics; private cooperative association was organized with leader, rules, and funds. The inscription in question is the agreement of the land property of the fu-lao-tan in the community of shih-t'ing-li... in A.D. 72. In the final part of this essay, we discuss the surname-groups in a Han local community of li. In the light of the 25 names inscribed on the stone, we believe that a Ch'in-Han village or a community of li was commonly composed by a number of major surname-groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
