The Evolution of the Symbolic Meaning of Pigeon Image from Pre-Qin to Han Dynasty—Take the Pigeon-ended Sticks Unearthed from Tombs as Examples

Abstract

From the Pre-Qin to Han Dynasty, the symbolic meaning of pigeon image tended to be fixed from diversity. The evolution process can be confirmed by the various images of the pigeon-ended sticks unearthed from the tombs. The images of the pigeon-ended sticks unearthed in the Pre-Qin period are diverse and the decorations are complex in China, and all kinds of decorations are mostly related to the primitive worship, which indicate that the pigeon images should be more associated with tribes and primitive religions in the Pre-Qin period. However, during the Han Dynasty, the pigeon-ended sticks unearthed in China are simple in appearance, without too many complex decorations, which shows that the symbolic meaning of the pigeon images tend to be single in the Han Dynasty. The pigeon becomes symbolic of identity of the elderly, and respect for the elderly. Based on the pigeon-ended sticks unearthed the tombs in China from the Pre-Qin to Han Dynasty, this paper discusses the different symbolic meanings of pigeon images, and summarizes the evolution of pigeon meaning.