在位於廣州中山五路的南越王宮博物館中，
收藏著這麼一枚唐代象牙印章。
唐代象牙印章
印章高2.84，頭高1.68，印面長徑2.61，印面短徑2.2，2重9.7g 。底面左側偏厚有大約0.5*0.6cm，表面剝落不規整深約0.01cm，裡面呈粉白色。
象牙章質地堅硬，上面還有一道裂痕，沒有打磨完成，也沒有挑字署名，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!
要知道印章是中國傳統文化的代表之一，其種類繁多，基本上可分為官印和私印兩類，印紋刻上官職或者主人姓名，用以識別身份。現在發掘的很多古墓，之所以能確定墓主的身份，大多要仰仗於一起出土的印章。
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“文帝行璽”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.
但是南越王宮博物館這一枚印章，並未見任何印刻圖案和文字。要尋找它的主人，猶如大海撈針。
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，印章鈕上的頭像或許能提供一些線索。
印章紐為一個外國女性頭像，高鼻，深目，捲髮；橢圓形印面與中國傳統的方形或長方形印章迥異，與埃及和兩河流域的圓形或橢圓形印章相近。因此，這枚象牙章可能為唐代來華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.
也就是說，這枚象牙印章的主人是個洋人？下定論之前，不妨先回顧下唐代時期的廣州。
According to the book Tō Daiwajō Tōseiden (《唐大和上東征傳》), 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.
《東征傳繪卷》繪於1298年（永仁六年，日本鎌倉時代）
在日本文學家真人元開（淡海三船）所著的《唐大和上東征傳》中，曾描述了唐代和尚鑑真在廣州的見聞：“有婆羅門（今印度）、波斯（今伊朗）、崑崙（今馬來半島一帶）等舶，不知其數；並載香藥、珍寶，積載如山。其舶深六七丈。獅子國（今錫蘭島）、大石國（今阿拉伯國家）、骨唐國（在今呂宋島或蘇門答臘島）、白蠻（指歐洲人）、赤蠻（指非洲人）等往來居住，種類極多。”
從這段描述中，不難看出唐代時期，廣州已成為中國第一大港、世界著名的東方港市。當時來廣州進行貿易的國家數以百計，而常年在廣州居住的外國人達10餘萬，尤其以西亞阿拉伯人為多。
儘管在廣州沒有出土太多相關的直接物證，但在今光塔路一帶設置專門給外國人居住的“蕃坊”提供了關鍵線索。
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邊一帶，曾是當時廣州城外西部的商業區，一直延伸到珠江邊。明代學者顧炎武明確記載了“蕃坊”存在，“頃年在廣州蕃坊，獻食多用糖蜜、腦麝，有魚俎，雖甘香而腥臭自若也”。
（唐代蕃坊位置圖，製圖@張靖/星球研究所，依據潘安《商都往事》）
再來看下這枚印章的出土地。
它出土於中山五路南越王宮署遺址唐代的鋪磚廊道上，距離洋商人們聚居的蕃坊頗近。
此外，在象牙章出土的唐代文化層中，還發現象牙材料、水晶、玻璃製品和孔雀藍釉陶器等具有舶來品特徵的文物。據廣州考古專家麥英豪解釋，這附近曾是唐代的一個特色手工藝作坊。
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，產於西亞，現藏於南越王宮博物館
這讓人不禁想象，一千多年前，遠渡重洋的商人們來到廣州，帶來了深受當地人喜愛的奇珍異寶。當地百姓看到了商機，爭先開啟了特色手工藝作坊，學習並製作這些具有異域特色的商品，並積極與蕃坊的洋商們進行貿易往來。
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.
這枚小小的象牙印章，或許是某位洋商為了在廣州順利開展貿易而定製的私人印章。又或許，在與當地商人討價還價的時候，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: 南越王宮博物館、考古大家談、星球研究所
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