Progress in Research on the Origin of Ancient Bronze Ware
The methods of lead isotope and trace element analysis have received great attention in the study of the source of ancient bronze ore, and have achieved fruitful research results. However, there is relatively little research on the casting location (origin) of ancient bronze ware. In fact, the origin and mineral source are two important links in the production chain of bronze ware. The metal raw materials used for a bronze ware (copper ingots, tin ingots, and lead ingots, etc.) should come from various ancient metal mines. The copper casting workshop sites that have been discovered are mostly near ancient city sites, far from ancient mining and smelting sites. It can be seen that the origin and mineral sources of bronze ware often differ.
In recent years, Luo Wugan, associate professor of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology and the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has focused on comprehensively analyzing the residual mud cores in ancient bronzes by means of scientific and technological means such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), wavelength dispersive fluorescence spectrometry (WD-XRF), Atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and discussing their phase composition, major and trace elements, and rare earth element characteristics, And compare and analyze the characteristics with relevant soil background data to identify its origin. At present, a preliminary method for studying the origin of ancient bronze ware has been established, and the database for analyzing the clay core technology of bronze ware is taking shape.
Recently, Martin, a doctoral student of the Institute of Paleovertebrae under the guidance of Luo Wugan, cooperated with the University of Science and Technology of China and the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and systematically analyzed the characteristics of major, trace elements and rare earth elements in the clay cores of bronzes unearthed from the Qiaojiayuan cemetery in Yunxian County. The study shows that the element characteristics of the clay core of the bronze wares in Qiaojiayuan cemetery are similar to those of the red soil in the south, but obviously different from the geochemical characteristics of the loess in the north. In terms of REE geochemical characteristics, it is obviously different from Houma pottery model and Lijia pottery model, and is closer to Panlongcheng and Zuozhuang mud cores. It can be seen that the raw materials for the bronze clay cores in the Qiaojiayuan Cemetery may come from the southern red soil region and have homology with the clay cores in Panlong City and Zuozhuang. Considering that the location of Panlong City and Zuozhuang belongs to the central region of Chu State, it is speculated that this batch of bronze ware was imported into Zhudi after being cast in Chu State, which tells the history of Zhudi's extinction from another perspective.
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