Bird-worm seal script


Bird-worm seal script is a type of ancient seal script originating in China.

Names

The Chinese character 鸟 means "bird". The Chinese character 虫 literally means "insect", but by extension can mean any creature that looks like a "worm", including invertebrate worms and reptiles such as snakes and lizards. The character 篆 means "seal ".
Other names for this kind of seal script:
There are two subcategories :
Seal script evolved from oracle bone script, and diverged into different forms in the Spring and Autumn period, after the power of the Zhou dynasty waned and China began to divide into different states.
This kind of seal script first appeared in the middle era of the Spring and Autumn period. It then became popular during the late Spring and Autumn period, and was most popular during the Warring States period. It was often seen in southern kingdoms, such as the Wu Kingdom, Yue Kingdom, Chu Kingdom, Cai Kingdom, Xu Kingdom, and the Song Kingdom. Each state in China during the Warring States Period had its own variety of script.
These kinds of seal script declined after the Qin Dynasty, most likely due to the unification of writing scripts by Qin Shi Huang, after his unification of China, although they were used during the Han Dynasty.

Usage

The bird seal script is often seen on bronze and iron antiques of the Yue Kingdom. The script was used on bronze and iron weapons, like swords, to indicate ownership or date of completion. The characters engraved on the famous Sword of Goujian provide a fine example. A few examples of the bird seal script can be seen in or on containers and jades of that period. The bird seal script was also used occasionally in the Han Dynasty seals, as well as a few eaves tiles and bricks.
The worm seal script is more common in, and probably originated from the Wu Kingdom or Chu Kingdom. Examples can be seen on antique bronze weapons, containers, jades, and seals, and constructional or decorative parts like tiles, etc. The characters on the famous Spear of Fuchai are a good example of this category of seal script.