Agate, also known as horse brain, Kate Ma and agate, can be used to make utensils and decorations.

There were many agate vessels in Tang Dynasty, but not many objects were unearthed, and the most striking one was agate vessels. According to the information available at present, only a few agate vessels in the Tang Dynasty have been found, namely, the agate cup unearthed from hejia village in Xi 'an, the agate long cup and agate bowl collected in Xi 'an Museum.

From the source of materials, although China is rich in agate, historical documents from the Three Kingdoms to the Sui and Tang Dynasties recorded that the high-grade agate products used by emperors and dignitaries in the Tang Dynasty often came from abroad. Agate from the western regions is not only rare, but also has a strong exotic flavor, so it is favored by the royal family and its nobles. There are many ways to write agate in ancient literature, such as horse brain, agate, Kate Ma, code name and so on, which are probably transliteration of foreign words.

"Taiping Yulan" Volume 808 "Horse brain strips": "Wei Wendi said that horse brain is happy, and Japanese jade also comes from the western regions. Arts and sciences are intertwined with Malik brain, so its side is named after it."

Shu Wei; Persian biography: "Gold, silver,? ? Stone, coral, amber, car canal, horse brain ... "

The history of the north; "Biography of the Western Regions": "The emperor was ordered to send history and engage in Du Xing's mission to the western regions, and won the agate cup."

Beiqi book; "Biography of Bi Yuan": "The treasure of the Wei family is more than Shao Hou. There are two jade bowls in full bloom, but they can't get out. " The capacity of Kate Ma is three liters, which is made of jade. They are called ghosts in the western regions. "

Biography of Sui Shu and Persia: "There are many horses, donkeys, lions, white elephants, big birds' eggs, real pearls, beautiful pearls, animal spirits, corals, glazed pottery and yards ..."

Old Tang books; Pei Xingjian biography: "Pingdu supported asylum at the beginning. It's Dabao, and the soldiers of the Emirates are willing to watch it, and they are thrifty because of the banquet. There is a horse brain plate, which is more than two feet wide and unique in literary talent. "

Old Tang books; Kang Guochuan: "In the sixth year of Kaiyuan, envoys contributed chain mail, crystal cups, horse brain bottles, ostrich eggs and moon promises."

Old Tang books; "Biography of Persia": "From the tenth year of Kaiyuan to the sixth year of Tianbao, every ten envoys came to pay tribute to the DPRK. In April, an angel was sent to provide an agate bed. "

New Tang book; "Biography of Persia": "From Kaiyuan to Tianbao, ten generations of ambassadors offered beds and Mao Xiuwu."

New Tang book; Legend: "There are gold, silver, luminous cups, bright moon pearls, big shells, car canals, yards, wooden difficulties, Kong Cui and Hu Bo. "

In addition, Taiping Yulan quoted Xuanzhongji as saying that "the horse brain gives birth to the moon". As can be seen from the above data, agate was mainly produced in Persia, Fusong, Sogdian and other western countries during the Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang Dynasties, and it had the characteristics of interlaced texture. Although China also produces agate, its colors are mostly white and yellow, followed by light blue. This kind of agate wrapped in red silk is extremely difficult to see. Therefore, the materials of these agate vessels in the Tang Dynasty should come from the Western Regions.

Tang people like agate ware, perhaps because of the characteristics of agate itself. It is a natural ornament, without any artificial carving, and the natural texture is very beautiful. In addition, the ancients also believed that agate was something to ward off evil spirits and attract wealth, and regarded it as a panacea. "Gao Xin" contains: "Horse brain, words are condensed from the blood of evil spirits." "The field of Danqiu is full of ghost blood. If it is turned into Dan stone, it is agate. "Although the records in the book are absurd, the ancients thought that agate condensed from ghost blood could be used as ornaments to ward off evil spirits and make money. Actually, agate is a natural ore. According to scientific determination, it contains many trace elements. Wearing or using agate for a long time has a good health care effect on people. It is also an important part of Chinese medicine. In Compendium of Materia Medica, agate is pungent, cold and nontoxic. Attending evil, iron eye red rotten. The main eye is the obstacle, and this is the end. " Is to take care of the white membrane on the eyeball, grind agate into powder and use it for eye spots every day.

Wei Wendi emperor xelloss said "horse brain belongs to jade"; Wei ren Zhang Yi called Guangya "Dian, Shi Yu"; In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Jia called it "Diannao Shiye" in "Collection of Notes, Volume One, Gaoxin"; The Ming Dynasty Song Dynasty's Heavenly Creations said that "agate is not a stone but a jade". Of course, it is precisely because the identity is difficult to determine that it is self-contained. In this respect, Gong Ting Yumin of Chu ruled that jade is stone twice, probably according to the standard of "five virtues", including "gentle"; "From the outside, you can know the middle"; "Its sound is soothing, and it is designed to be heard from far away"; "Don't scratch"; "Sharp is not expensive, but it is not embarrassing."

Agate is a chalcedony mineral, which is often a banded block mixed with opal and aphanitic. Its hardness is 7-7.5 degrees, its specific gravity is 2.65, and its color is quite layered. Translucent or opaque. Or arranged in strips or bands, with black spots or mosses. Often used as an ornament or ornamental. Agate balls can often be seen in ancient funerary objects.

Three Kingdoms Wei Cao Pi "Agate Preface": "Agate belongs to jade. From the western regions, arts and sciences are intertwined and like horse brains, so people are named after them. "

Yu Xin of the Northern Zhou Dynasty wrote Liu Ge: "Hold a cloud glass with red agate, shine on the eclipse, and spin a purple cup."

Wang Han's "The Love of Kate Ma": "Everything is beautiful, believe in kurama Nau."

One of the Wuqi Qu written by Emperor Liang Yuan in the Southern Dynasties: "There is a horse brain clock in the middle to sake, and there is an amber dragon pattern on the skirt."

Tang Su 'e's Du Yang Miscellaneous Edition: "Bohai Naoju, purple porcelain basin, Ma Naoju is three feet square, as dark as money, and the workmanship is extremely clever."

In the Song Dynasty, Fan Chengda's poem "Difficult to Walk" reads: "Kate Ma has a fairy dream pillow, and the dragon people fully open the cold yarn."

Wang Jinjia's "Gao Xin": "Canon is also a stone, and the south wins."

"New Tang Book Biography of the Western Regions": "Gold, silver, luminous jade, bright moon beads, big shells, car canals, yards, wood difficulties, Kong Cui, and tigers are many. "

Song Sushi's poem "Gratitude to Changzhou Elders" reads: "Jasper bowls are filled with red nectar, and water is used to raise Acorus gramineus."

Ming Langying's Seven Manuscripts Three Monsters: "You might as well read the Biography of Chun Zhu:' If someone stores an inkstone and fills it with water, there will be a small crucian carp in the water, so it is lovely to swim. " "

Li Mingzhizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica Jinshi II Horse Brain: "There is a white line between the zygote horse brain and the darkness. Brocade red horse brain, its color is like brocade. Wrapped in silk horse brain, red and white as silk. This is expensive. " Also known as "silk-wrapped agate".

In the thirty-seventh chapter of A Dream of Red Mansions, "Aroma asked,' Where is this silk-wrapped white agate plate?' "

Compendium of Materia Medica: the main evil, the iron eye is red and rotten.

Compendium: The main purpose is to create obstacles, which are the end and the day.

Materia Medica: Agate is the same as coral generation, especially for removing obstacles.

"The Legend of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty": "Mrs. Shang Yuan wore the crown of nine clouds and dragged six jade ornaments out of the fire."

Tang Su 'e's Du Yang Miscellaneous Edition: "In the first year of Wuzong Huichang, Fu Yu fought fire jade ... The fire jade was full of fire, half an inch long, and the top circle had dozens of levels of illumination, which could burn the tripod. If you put it indoors, it won't be embarrassing. "

Ancient books in China called agate "Qiongyu", "Chiyu" and "Huoyu". The word agate comes from Buddhist scriptures, and its real name in Sanskrit is "Asmagbo". It means "horse brain". It can be seen that after Buddhism was introduced into China, Chiyu and Huoyu were renamed agate. Red is the most common color, followed by blue agate, purple agate and green agate. Agate is hard and wear-resistant, with glass luster, transparent or translucent. In addition, because it contains other metal elements, there will be spots such as red, blue and purple, and some also have several colors at the same time, thus forming many different varieties.

The mineralogical name of agate is chalcedony. Before the Han Dynasty, red agate was called "Ruby" or "Qiong". "Thousands of agates and thousands of kinds of jade", because the red agate is rare and precious, there is a saying that "agate is poor and has no red life" in the earliest cultural relic appraisal book "Gegu Yaolun" in China.

And recorded the origin of agate in many places. For example, Biography of the Eastern Han Dynasty recorded Fuyu in the northeast (now Siping City, Jilin Province) and the first floor (ethnic name, living in the north of Changbai Mountain, Songhua River and the lower reaches of Heilongjiang Province), which is famous as "Chishi". In addition, in Yuzhou (now Yuxian), Jiukongshan and Fu Xuan (Xuanhua), Sijiaoshan (see Wu Kai in Tiangong), Gansu and Ningxia (see natural history), Shenmu and Fugu areas in Yan 'an, Shaanxi (see Guangyu Ji), Chiling Town in Ruzhou (see Song History), Bobai County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (see

There are many records about agate in ancient books in China, and agate is also called "Qiongyu" or "Chiyu" in historical books before Han Dynasty. Green agate is a rare variety of agate. Agate is one of the seven treasures of Buddhism, which has the function of avoiding evil spirits. People have used agate as amulets for a long time. Agate is widely used. It can be used as medicine, gem, jade, jewelry, handicraft materials, abrasive tools, instrument bearings and so on. Agate is pungent, cold and non-toxic. It can be used by people who have difficulty in ophthalmology. Grinding with agate is very effective. Medicinal agate chips are left when carving precious stones. Agate is one of the earliest familiar gem materials and has long been regarded as a rare treasure in the world.