五代十國墓誌文化之時空分布與發展

Temporal and Spatial Distributions and Development of the Culture of Tomb Epitaphs in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

相較於唐末20年，五代十國墓誌數量在北方與南方同時呈現穩定的逐步上升趨勢，且在北方更為明顯。若從文化的角度觀之，此正呼應有些學者所稱當時北方政治社會與南方同樣處於逐漸復甦的狀態。當時墓誌主要仍分布在北方，特別是洛陽一帶，但長安失去政治地位後即快速衰落，取而代之的則是其他幾個城市。其時墓誌的使用者主要來自統治階級的高階官員及其家庭成員。最特別的是，潞州不但產生相對較多的墓誌，且多為可能來自各種不同行業的中上層平民墓誌，反映此地基層社會經濟的普遍復甦趨勢。此期墓誌按死者官職高低而遵循一定的尺寸規範，將死者安置於等級明確的國家禮制體系中，然形制似乎也出現了一些區域差異，例如吳越與閩國的墓誌。墓誌也透過宇宙符號刻紋，將死者從人間的國家禮制秩序進一步整合進統治菁英的宇宙秩序中。墓誌的文本，則延續唐代的書寫格式，利用格套、事件與詞彙構成具有限定編碼的儀式語言，將眾多統治階級與其家庭成員化約為高度同質化的人生，這種儀式語言也向基層社會菁英群體滲透。綜觀之，此期墓誌文化反映出當時統治階級的文化具有統一性，不但是結構性的，同時也是意識型態的，並有較一致的客觀基礎。統治階級及其文化如何在歷史中逐步演變與擴展，有待未來深入探討。

In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which followed the Tang Dynasty, the number of tomb epitaphs steadily increased in both northern and southern China. This trend, which was more pronounced in the north, supports the argument of some scholars that the political and social environments in both the north and south were in a state of gradual recovery. During this period, tomb epitaphs were still mainly distributed in the north, particularly near Luoyang. In contrast to northern cities, the use of tomb epitaphs in Chang’an declined rapidly after Chang’an lost its political status as the ancient capital, and several other cities gained power. High-ranking officials of the ruling class and their family members were the primary users of tomb epitaphs. Luzhou was a large producer of tomb epitaphs; most belonged to middle- and upper-class civilians from various industries and reflected the gradual recovery of the local society and economy. Tomb epitaphs of this period followed size specifications that accorded with the official ranking of the deceased, placing the deceased in a hierarchical state ritual system. However, researchers have discovered regional differences in epitaph shapes, such as in those of the Wuyue and Min kingdoms. Engraved with cosmic symbols, tomb epitaphs elevated the status of the deceased from the state ritual order into the cosmic order held by the ruling elite. The tombstone inscriptions followed the writing format of the Tang Dynasty; they created ritual language with restricted codes, events, and vocabulary that reduced the lives of many members of the ruling class and their family members into a highly homogenized society. This ritual language was also present in the epitaphs of local elites without official posts. The tomb epitaph culture of this period reveals that the culture of the ruling class was structurally and ideologically unified and had a relatively consistent objective basis. How the ruling class and its culture gradually evolved and expanded through history merits future exploration.