50 Tael Tribute Silver for Holy Festival from the Southern Sung Dynasty
Weight: 50 taels
Date: 1247 A.D.
Inscriptions
建康府
起解進奉淳祐柒年分
聖節銀每鋌重伍拾兩專庫王錢 匠人程元籌
宿 賈寔 邢文彬 沈執中
京銷十月初九日
迪功郎建康府司戶參軍兼監趙興裴
文林郎建康府錄事參軍兼監張士通
JienKang Prefecture
Submitted in the fiscal year of 7th year of Chun Yo
Tribute for Holy Festival, each piece 50 Taels. Treasury Wang Chien, Smith Chen Yuan Chou
Su (Chinese Serial Number) Jia Xi (Meaning unknown), Shin Wen Bin, Shen Zhi Zhong (Names of inspectors)
Cast in the Capital, the 9th day of 10th Month
Di-Gung Lang (Title of a low-ranking Civil official), Jienkang Prefecture Supervisor Zhao Xin Pei of Household Register, Taxation and Warehousing.
Wen-Lin Lang (Title of a low-ranking Civil official), Jienkang Prefecture, Supervisor Chang Xi Tong of Auditing and General Affairs.
This is a 50 tael tribute silver submitted in the name of "The Holy Festival" which means the emperor's birthday. Using that as an excuse for depriving people of their fortune was common at that time, it applied in the former Liao, then Jin and Western Xia, not only Southern Sung.
Few tribute silver for Holy Festival are known to survive, and this surviving piece having 76 characters inscribed is also assumed to be the one having the largest number of inscriptions. Those inscriptions provide profound information on the system of tribute silver for Holy Festival, particularly, officials of a local government and their responsibility in preparing the tribute silver.
南宋淳祐七年聖節銀五十兩
本件係建康府(今南京)於淳祐七年以聖節名義起解的五十兩稅銀。所謂「聖節」, 是指皇帝的生日之意; 此一名義亦被宋室用以向各地徵斂。不只是中原政權如此, 稍早的遼與當時的金與西夏, 也都藉著自己皇帝的誕辰過著「聖節」; 日期不同, 但趁機搜括財富的意義則一致.
據知, 聖節銀實物存世幾稀 而這件帶有七十六個銘文 除了可能是銘文最多的存世銀錠之外 也提供了豐富的歷史資料, 包括地方官的官制及籌備節銀的關係. 本件實物共出動了兩個建康府的低階官員官拜文林郎的錄事參軍,以及官階為迪功郎的司戶參軍. 這種情形與正稅多逕以府州縣政府,提舉司或轉運司等單位名義具名, 有所不同.
名詞釋義:
文林郎― 官階名. 唐宋時期, 總二十九階中,排序二十八階. 從九品上.
迪功郎― 官階名. 北宋末將仕郎所改稱, 並改定為第三十七階，仍為最低階.南宋於迪功郎下,再增置通仕、
登仕、將仕三郎.
錄事參軍― 官職名,掌州院庶務,糾諸曹延誤、違失.
司戶參軍― 官職名,掌戶籍賦稅、倉庫收納.
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