China News Service, Guanghan, May 28 (Reporter Yue Yitong) "Through lead isotope analysis, the bronzes unearthed from the sites of Sanxingdui in Sichuan, Yinxu in Anyang, Henan, and Oceania in Xingan, Jiangxi all contain a very special lead mineral-high Radioactive lead.” Recently, Chen Kunlong, deputy dean of the Institute of Science and Technology History and Cultural Heritage of the University of Science and Technology Beijing, said in Guanghan, Sichuan that during the period from the middle to late Shang Dynasty about 300 years, many bronze wares unearthed from important sites in China The discovery of this special lead mineral, "it can be reasonably inferred that these minerals all come from the same place."
The picture shows the bronze ware unearthed at the Sanxingdui site.
Photo by Lei Yu
The tall and exquisite bronze sacred tree, the uniquely shaped bronze human head, the intricately-patterned bronze container... Since the "Wake up and Shaken the World" at the Sanxingdui site, various bronze wares unearthed have attracted attention because of their vivid shapes and distinctive features.
What are the characteristics of the casting process of Sanxingdui bronzes?
Where is the source of mineral materials?
Where is the casting location?
As an expert in the field of metallurgical archaeology, Chen Kunlong interpreted the above issues.
Chen Kunlong said that in terms of molding process, the main casting method of Sanxingdui bronzes is the Tao Fan method, which belongs to the same technical system as the processing technology in the Central Plains; in terms of alloy composition, mainly lead-tin bronze; in terms of unearthed artifacts In other words, many bronze statues and bronze lilies unearthed in Sanxingdui are also closely related to other bronze civilizations of the same period. From these perspectives, the production methods of Sanxingdui bronzes are indeed influenced by the Central Plains.
However, compared with the bronzes unearthed in the Central Plains, the Sanxingdui bronzes also have a unique style.
Chen Kunlong introduced that the bronzes unearthed in the Central Plains were mainly containers and weapons, while many unique bronze artifacts such as sacred trees and human faces were unearthed at the Sanxingdui site.
In addition, although the so-called bronze weapons were also unearthed in Sanxingdui, they may not be practical ones, and their ritual functions are more prominent.
Unique device type will inevitably lead to different production processes.
Chen Kunlong explained that, for example, when casting complex bronzes such as sacred trees, the Sanxingdui copper casting craftsmen adopted the method of segmented casting and then connecting various parts by casting and welding.
At the same time, the bronze masks unearthed in Sanxingdui have no patterns. They may be decorated by painting and pasting with gold leaf, instead of casting patterns directly on the surface.
In terms of post-processing, the cutting, grinding, and chiseling methods found on Sanxingdui bronzes are also relatively rare in the Central Plains.
Bronze repairs unearthed from the No. 2 sacrificial pit.
Photo by Lei Yu
"In ancient society, copper, jade, gold, etc. were rare resources, and the place of origin was limited. Where did Sanxingdui cast such a large number of bronzes, where did the raw materials come from?" Chen Kunlong told reporters that there must be long-distance material circulation behind it.
At present, the archaeological community has many opinions on the source of mineral materials, such as the southwestern region, the nearby local materials, the Central Plains region, and the Qinling region.
"These are reasonable conjectures based on incomplete evidence. If you want to prove it, more and more comprehensive archaeological work is needed."
After mining the ore, it is smelted into metal raw materials, alloyed, and then cast into artifacts... Chen Kunlong introduced that metallurgical production is a long-chain process.
If you want to truly uncover the secrets of Sanxingdui bronzes, you need to find more evidence, such as production remains and slag from metallurgy.
"We should search for the technical remains of the late Shang Dynasty bronze metallurgical production in the Sanxingdui site, surrounding areas, and even larger areas, and form a chain of interlocking evidence, so that we can truly find the source of the Sanxingdui bronze ore." Chen Kunlong said. , I believe that with the development of scientific and technological archaeology and the continuous improvement of the archaeological work environment, all questions will be gradually answered.
(Finish)