What color were ancient bronze vessels originally
Ancient bronze ware played a very important role in the formation and development of ancient Chinese civilization, and was an important carrier of Chinese civilization. China's bronze civilization has a long history, with exquisite smelting techniques, exquisite production, and beautiful shapes. It reached its peak during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, forming a unique Chinese style and also enjoying high reputation and artistic value among the world's bronze ware.
When it comes to ancient bronze ware, people usually think of the simple and dignified objects with different shapes that can be seen in museums; But when asked what color these bronze vessels were originally, I believe the vast majority of people would assume that they were turquoise. Actually, it's not the case. The colors of ancient bronze vessels we see now are all caused by changes that have been baptized by time, corroded, and oxidized.
These ancient bronze vessels, which have gone through many vicissitudes and years, have other colors such as blue, red, black, and silver in addition to the common turquoise.
Some people may ask, why are all ancient bronze vessels so different in color? What color were ancient bronze vessels originally?
Bronze refers to an alloy made by melting and casting red copper with tin or lead in a certain proportion. When bronze ware first appeared, it was mostly small tools or decorations, and the production technology was relatively simple. Archaeologists found that there are 5800 years old copper smelting relics in the Yangshao culture layer. The single blade bronze knife unearthed at the Majiayao culture Site in Gansu Province is the earliest known bronze ware in China, with a history of 4800 years. These archaeological discoveries prove that China began making bronze ware over 4000 years ago.
With the development of society and the improvement of metallurgical technology and manufacturing techniques, the functional attributes of bronze ware have also undergone changes. Ding, Gui, and other utensils have gradually evolved from initial cooking utensils to ritual vessels, and have also become symbols of status, power, and wealth.
Nowadays, we usually refer to ancient Chinese artifacts made of bronze materials as bronze vessels, but this is just what we modern people call them. During the Pre Qin period, people referred to bronze as "gold" or "auspicious gold", and its alloys were generally lead bronze and lead tin bronze. Later on, "Jijin" was also used as a general term for the Zhong Ding and Yi artifacts, and there are also numerous records of "Jijin" in ancient literature. The characters cast and carved on bronze during the Shang and Zhou dynasties are known as Jin inscriptions, also known as Zhong Ding inscriptions.
In Volume 11 of Mozi's Xiangu, it is recorded that "from the beginning of the Xia Dynasty, flying Lian turned gold into mountains, cast Kunwu, and the tripod became..." This mainly tells the story of Dayu casting the nine tripods. Among them, "Kunwu" is a mountain name. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Book of Zhongshan, "the mountain of Kunwu is two hundred miles to the west, and there is much red copper on it." Guo Pu of the Jin Dynasty once noted: "Kunwu is famous for its copper, which is as red as fire. It is used as a cutting edge, and cutting jade like cutting mud." Therefore, the "gold" mentioned here does not refer to gold, but refers to the copper raw materials obtained from copper mining, which are used to cast tripods.
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