Snake sticks its fangs into myth and culture
Reptile with important symbolism sees reputation grow, Wang Ru reports.
evolving from snakes. [Photo by Wang Tu/China Daily]
Divinity of snakes
A major upgrade happened at the end of the Neolithic era, when the status of snakes rose rapidly elevating them to a divine symbol. Archaeologists have found in the Erlitou Culture, a Bronze Age culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River that existed from the 18th to 16th centuries BC and believed to be associated with the Xia Dynasty (c. 21stcentury-16th century BC), snakes emerged as a particularly crucial motif, prominently featured on exceptional artifacts.
For example, a longstrip animal made of more than 2,000 turquoise pieces has been found positioned atop the body of a tomb owner from Erlitou Site in Luoyang, Henan province. Scholars mostly believe it is a dragon, but Han points out it can also be seen as a snake, as in the Erlitou Culture, distinguishing between snakes and dragons was challenging, with the snake often regarded as a primary inspiration for the iconic dragon imagery.
"Each of the turquoise piece was designed carefully in its positioning to make this shape. The snake or dragon was put on some organic materials like a wooden plate which was held by the person in one arm, and beside it was a bronze bell, one of the earliest bronze artifacts discovered in East Asia, tied to his hand with a jade bell clapper within. Imagine the man holding the turquoise snake or dragon and ringing the bell, producing maybe the earliest sounds of bronze colliding with jade that East Asian people ever heard. What a divine scene!" says Han.
