In ancient times, which rank of officials had official seals?

The official seals of officials at all levels in the Qing Dynasty differed according to their grades and positions. The official seals of the Qing Dynasty were divided into six grades: treasure, seal, customs defense, map record, regulation record and record. The seal was made of gold, three inches and six minutes square and one inch thick. Seals were used by permanent and administrative organizations. Their size ranged from three inches to two inches and one minute, and one inch to four minutes and four centimeters thick. They were made of silver or copper. The customs seal was used by temporary institutions that dealt with finance, engineering, and other matters. The specific information of other grades of seals such as pictures, records, and records was not mentioned. In addition, there were certain rules on the shape and text of the official seal. For example, the official seal was square, and temporary and unofficial officials did not use official seals. In general, the official seals of officials at all levels of the Qing Dynasty differed according to their positions and ranks.

The Encyclopedia of Ancient Official Seals was a list of different types of official seals. We can get some information about ancient official seals, but we don't have a complete collection of official seals. According to the historical records, there were many types of ancient official seals, including the emperor's jade seal, the imperial treasure, the official seal of all levels of court officials, the official seal of local administrative officials, the official seal of all levels of institutions, the official seal of military officials, the seal of low-level institutions, the seal of feudal regime, the seal of ethnic minority regime, the seal of peasant uprising regime, and so on. These official seals were different in terms of material, button style, and seal text, reflecting the rank and power of different official positions. However, the specific types and forms of official seals required further research and data collection to give a complete collection of official seals.

In ancient times, the official seal's rank was determined by the official's rank and status. The seal of a high-ranking official was larger in size, wider in surface, exquisite in text, and generally made of jade, copper, or iron. The seals of low-level officials were smaller in size, with a narrower surface and simple characters. They were mostly made of bronze or stone. The official seal was mainly used on official documents, documents, memorials, and other important documents. It had serious legal effect and official symbolic significance.

In ancient times, the highest official rank was the first rank. The first rank was the highest rank in ancient China, including Grand Preceptor, Grand Tutor, Grand Protector, Grand Marshal, Situ, Sikong, and General of Heavenly Strategy. Although these official positions were of high rank, they were actually empty positions or honorary titles without actual authority. Other than the first grade, there were also the second grade and the second grade, but their status was lower than the first grade. Therefore, the first rank was the highest rank in ancient times.

In ancient times, the highest official rank was the first rank.

The size of the ancient official seal changed in different periods. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the size of the official seal was roughly 20 mm to 30 mm square. However, by the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the size of the official seal had increased to 50 mm to 60 mm square. The size of the official seal of the Ming Dynasty was generally 10-12 cm square, and the handle of the seal was gradually increased. Some were as high as 8 cm, and the edge of the seal was also gradually widened. The official seal of the Song Dynasty was roughly 5 to 5.5 centimeters in size. Therefore, the size of the ancient official seal changed in different periods.

Rank 1 to 9 was the ranking system of ancient official positions. The first rank was the highest rank of official position, including the first rank and the second rank. The official positions of the first grade included prime minister, grand tutor, etc., and the official positions of the second grade included junior teacher, junior tutor, junior protector, etc. The other ranks of official positions included the second rank, the second rank, the third rank, the third rank, and so on. Each rank had a corresponding official title. However, the specific official titles and duties varied from era to era and region to region. The modern system of official positions was relatively simple and clear, but as society developed, the names and requirements of official positions also changed. In summary, the first to ninth grades were the ranks of ancient official positions. The specific official titles and responsibilities varied according to the era and region.

The list of the nine ranks was as follows: The first grade: Taishi, Taifu, Taibao, Taiwei, Situ, Sikong, Tiance General. From the first grade: Prince Taishi, Prince Taifu, Prince Taibao, Hussars General. Two grades: Shangshu Ling, Dahang Taiwan Shangshu Ling. From the second grade: Shangshu left and right Pushe, Prince Shaoshi, Prince Shaofu, Prince Shaobao, Jingzhao/Henan/Taiyuan prefect, Grand Governor, Dadu Hu. There are three grades: Shi Zhong, Zhongshu Ling, Six Shangshu, Prince Guest, Tai Chang Qing, Prince Zhan Shi, Zhong Du Du, Shang Du Hu. From the third grade: The specific official position is not mentioned. Please note that the above is a list of the nine official positions of the Tang Dynasty.

The ancient official seal was mainly distinguished from the real one by comparing it in many ways. We can understand that there are several ways to identify the authenticity of ancient official seals: 1. Observing the characteristics of the handprints: The handprints left by the ancient government in the case files were often the marks of the entire palm. By observing the size of the palm, the texture of the palm, the length of the knuckles, and other aspects, the error rate could be reduced. 2. Checking the seal: In ancient times, after an official was promoted, they would leave with the official seal that had been stamped on it. Then, they would go to the local area to check with the local seal. If the two were the same, he could confirm the authenticity of the official seal. 3. [Anti-counterfeit mark: The notes of ancient money houses usually have unique anti-counterfeit marks, such as secret codes and poems.] These marks could be compared to the order of the songs of Chu and the Book of Songs to distinguish the authenticity. 4. Observing the characteristics of the seal: The characteristics of the ancient official seal varied according to the dynasty. For example, the characters on the official seals of the Pre-Qin period were usually different characters, while the official seals of the Warring States period were occupied by all kinds of strange characters. By observing whether the seal on the seal matched the characteristics of the characters at that time, one could determine its authenticity. In summary, the authenticity of ancient official seals could be distinguished by observing the characteristics of the handprint, checking the seal, anti-counterfeit marks, and observing the characteristics of the seal.

In ancient times, civil officials usually stood on the left (west) while military officials stood on the right (east). This kind of arrangement was common in ancient court meetings. In addition, according to the regulations of different dynasties, the standing order of officials would also be arranged according to the level of officials. Therefore, it could be concluded that in ancient times, civil officials stood on the left side of the court.