A Multivariate Approach to Investigate Metallurgical Technology: The Case of the Chinese Ritual Bronzes

Research into ancient Chinese metallurgy has flourished over recent years with the accumulation of analytical data reflecting the needs of so many archaeological finds. However, the relationship between technology and society is unlikely to be revealed simply by analysing more artefacts. This is particularly evident in the debates over the sources of metals used to manufacture the Chinese ritual bronzes of the Shang (c. 1500-1046 BCE), Western Zhou (c. 1046-771 BCE) and Eastern Zhou (c. 771-256 BCE) dynasties. This article recognises that approaches to analytical data often fail to provide robust platforms from which to investigate metallurgical technology within its wider social and cultural contexts. To address this issue, a recently developed multivariate approach is applied to over 300 Chinese ritual bronzes from legacy data sets and nearly 100 unearthed copper-based objects from Anyang and Hanzhong. Unlike previous investigations that have relied predominantly on interpreting lead isotope signatures, the compositional analyses presented here indicate that copper and lead used to manufacture the bronzes are derived from mining progressively deeper ores in the same deposits rather than seeking out new sources. It is proposed that interpretations of social, cultural and technological change predicated on the acquisition of metals from disparate regions during the Chinese Bronze Age may need to be revised.

Automated summary

Research into ancient Chinese metallurgy has progressed in recent years, but analyzing artifacts alone cannot reveal the relationship between technology and society. This study applies a multivariate approach and finds that copper and lead used in ancient Chinese bronzes were sourced from the same deposits rather than different regions.