在位于广州中山五路的南越王宫博物馆中，
收藏着这么一枚唐代象牙印章。
唐代象牙印章
印章高2.84，头高1.68，印面长径2.61，印面短径2.2，2重9.7g 。底面左侧偏厚有大约0.5*0.6cm，表面剥落不规整深约0.01cm，里面呈粉白色。
象牙章质地坚硬，上面还有一道裂痕，没有打磨完成，也没有挑字署名，似乎是一枚未完成工序的半成品。
There is an exotic ivory-made seal of Tang Dynasty exhibited at the Archaeological Site Museum of Nanyue Palace in Guangzhou. The seal is only three-centimeter-high and no bigger than a walnut. But it has a story to tell!
要知道印章是中国传统文化的代表之一，其种类繁多，基本上可分为官印和私印两类，印纹刻上官职或者主人姓名，用以识别身份。现在发掘的很多古墓，之所以能确定墓主的身份，大多要仰仗于一起出土的印章。
With roots dating back thousands of years, Chinese seals are more than just a unique motif. They are symbolic of identity, status, and culture. Mostly carved with users’ names or official positions, seals found in ancient tombs could provide fundamental information for archaeologists to figure out the identity of the tomb owner.
南越王“文帝行玺”金印
However, there's no engravings on this particular seal, making it difficult to identify its owner. Whose seal was it? The answer might have already been hidden in the knob of the seal.
但是南越王宫博物馆这一枚印章，并未见任何印刻图案和文字。要寻找它的主人，犹如大海捞针。
It is carved into the shape of a woman’s head with deep eyes, high nose and curly hair, looking more like a foreigner rather than a Chinese. Apart from that, the oval shape design of the seal is quite eye-catching. In ancient China, square or rectangular shaped seals were frequently used while the oval ones were common in ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia.
唐代象牙印章
等等，印章钮上的头像或许能提供一些线索。
印章纽为一个外国女性头像，高鼻，深目，卷发；椭圆形印面与中国传统的方形或长方形印章迥异，与埃及和两河流域的圆形或椭圆形印章相近。因此，这枚象牙章可能为唐代来华的阿拉伯商人私章毛胚件。
With the above information in hand, can we judge that the seal was in the possession of someone from abroad? Before drawing a conclusion, let’s ‘travel’ back to the Tang Dynasty, the era when sea trade flourished in Guangzhou.
也就是说，这枚象牙印章的主人是个洋人？下定论之前，不妨先回顾下唐代时期的广州。
According to the book Tō Daiwajō Tōseiden (《唐大和上东征传》), an account of the Chinese monk Jianzhen's work in Japan, the Pearl River was teemed with numerous ships from the Arab Empire, Persia, Ceylon and other countries, loaded with spices and other treasures.
《东征传绘卷》绘于1298年（永仁六年，日本镰仓时代）
在日本文学家真人元开（淡海三船）所著的《唐大和上东征传》中，曾描述了唐代和尚鉴真在广州的见闻：“有婆罗门（今印度）、波斯（今伊朗）、昆仑（今马来半岛一带）等舶，不知其数；并载香药、珍宝，积载如山。其舶深六七丈。狮子国（今锡兰岛）、大石国（今阿拉伯国家）、骨唐国（在今吕宋岛或苏门答腊岛）、白蛮（指欧洲人）、赤蛮（指非洲人）等往来居住，种类极多。”
从这段描述中，不难看出唐代时期，广州已成为中国第一大港、世界著名的东方港市。当时来广州进行贸易的国家数以百计，而常年在广州居住的外国人达10余万，尤其以西亚阿拉伯人为多。
尽管在广州没有出土太多相关的直接物证，但在今光塔路一带设置专门给外国人居住的“蕃坊”提供了关键线索。
So it is safe to say that the Tang Dynasty saw many foreign merchants coming to Guangzhou for trade, including a great number of Arabs. Although not much related physical evidence has been found in Guangzhou yet, Fanfang(蕃坊), a special zone for foreigners living and trading, was clearly recorded in history.
蕃坊所在的光塔寺周边一带，曾是当时广州城外西部的商业区，一直延伸到珠江边。明代学者顾炎武明确记载了“蕃坊”存在，“顷年在广州蕃坊，献食多用糖蜜、脑麝，有鱼俎，虽甘香而腥臭自若也”。
（唐代蕃坊位置图，制图@张靖/星球研究所，依据潘安《商都往事》）
再来看下这枚印章的出土地。
它出土于中山五路南越王宫署遗址唐代的铺砖廊道上，距离洋商人们聚居的蕃坊颇近。
此外，在象牙章出土的唐代文化层中，还发现象牙材料、水晶、玻璃制品和孔雀蓝釉陶器等具有舶来品特征的文物。据广州考古专家麦英豪解释，这附近曾是唐代的一个特色手工艺作坊。
Now let’s take a look at where the exotic item was found. The seal was unearthed in 2003 from the brick corridor on the archaeological site of the Nanyue Palace which was close to the Fanfang. Some other exotic items, such as crystal and glass beads were discovered as well. Thus archaeologists explained that there might be a handicraft workshop nearby back in the Tang Dynasty.
唐代的玻璃碗，产于西亚，现藏于南越王宫博物馆
这让人不禁想象，一千多年前，远渡重洋的商人们来到广州，带来了深受当地人喜爱的奇珍异宝。当地百姓看到了商机，争先开启了特色手工艺作坊，学习并制作这些具有异域特色的商品，并积极与蕃坊的洋商们进行贸易往来。
One can’t help imagining the hustle and bustle of Guangzhou back then when thousands of foreign ships sailed in bringing with them rare and precious goods which were very much coveted by the locals.
这枚小小的象牙印章，或许是某位洋商为了在广州顺利开展贸易而定制的私人印章。又或许，在与当地商人讨价还价的时候，粗心大意的主人，不小心落下了它。
Seeing this as a good business opportunity, locals started opening handicraft workshops to learn how to make these exotic products as well as to trade with foreign merchants. Guesses are that this ivory seal might either be a private customized one or one that was left behind by a careless foreign merchant after bargaining with local traders.
Editor: Yuan
Source: 南越王宫博物馆、考古大家谈、星球研究所
閱讀更多 silkroadpost絲路郵報 的文章
