부산대학교 도서관

• Novel, diachronic research on bronze production in the Chengdu Plains. • Different lead sources and possibly a single copper source used for 600 years. • New evidence on the origins of Sanxingdui bronze. As one of the most important separate cultural regions in ancient China, the Chengdu Plains provide a unique example to explore the development of bronze production. We analysed 37 bronze objects from the Western Zhou period to the Tang Dynasty in the Chengdu Plains for elemental compositions, microstructure, and lead isotope ratios. We referred to bronze data from the Sanxingdui sacrificial pits to compare results that demonstrated that most samples from the Chengdu Plains were Cu-Pb-Sn alloys with variable tin and lead content. The alloy technique used in the Warring States period bronzes, which were uncovered in the Baishoulu cemetery, differed from the techniques used in other samples. Casting is the major technique used for all types of objects in different periods. The only cold-worked and annealed sample found so far was a Chu-style vessel. Different lead sources and a possible single copper source were constantly used in local bronze production from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Warring States period (more than 600 years). Some coins in Han and Tang Dynasty potentially also used these same lead sources. Comparison with Sanxingdui bronze suggests that both lead and copper sources of Sanxingdui bronzes are different from the later metal sources. We therefore propose that the Sanxingdui bronze might not have been locally made or was made with outside materials. Our study suggests that diachronic study on bronze production could provide clues to solve more archaeological questions other than the development of bronze production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]