Title:Ink tablet in the form of a turtleArtist:Artist
UnknownDate:Eastern Han dynastyCreation Place:Asia, ChinaCredit
Line:The William Hood Dunwoody FundAccession Number:32.54.4a,b
This charming Han dynasty (206 b.c.- 220 a.d.) ink stone,
modeled in the form of a turtle, features "the eight trigrams"
pa-kua carved into the top of its removable shell. The eight
trigrams are among the earliest and best-known images associated
with Taoism. These visual symbols are the basis for the sixty-
four hexagrams of the ancient divination text, the I-Ching or
The Book of Changes which was formulated during Western Chou
(1050-772 b.c.). In addition to divination, the eight trigrams
played a vital role in Taoist alchemical practices and helped
explain the cosmological principles of transformation. The eight
trigrams and their symbolism are one of several Bronze Age
traditions that coalesced during Han to form the basis of
religious Taoism.