Cultural exchange and integration: archaeometallurgical case study on underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes from Shuangyuan Village Site in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty
Abstract As typical artifacts of the Ba-Shu culture, bronze dagger-axes have always been highly valued by academia. Underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes were utilized widely in both the Central Plains and southwest China. However, opinions differ on whether these underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes w...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Heritage Science |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-022-00786-3 |
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| author | Yuexuan Li Yingdong Yang Tianyou Wang Xiaoting Wang Wugan Luo |
| author_facet | Yuexuan Li Yingdong Yang Tianyou Wang Xiaoting Wang Wugan Luo |
| author_sort | Yuexuan Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract As typical artifacts of the Ba-Shu culture, bronze dagger-axes have always been highly valued by academia. Underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes were utilized widely in both the Central Plains and southwest China. However, opinions differ on whether these underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes which excavated from Ba-Shu culture were produced locally. Combined with archaeological typology study, p-XRF and MC-ICP-MS were used to analyze 12 underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes unearthed from Shuangyuan Village Site, an Eastern Zhou cemetery in Chengdu city, Sichuan Province, Southwest China in order to investigate the cultural exchange and integration centered on the Shu culture. The composition results show that the majority of samples were made from copper, tin, and lead ternary alloy. The data on lead isotopes indicate that underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes have different mineral sources. The lead isotope ratio 206Pb/204Pb of 18.3 can draw the conclusion to be used as one of the bases for judging that underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes originated in the Chengdu Plain or the Central Plains which was consistent with the typology. The southern China lead materials of underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes in the Ba-Shu and Central Plains style probably came from southern Sichuan; while the rest of underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes in the Central Plains style might use lead materials in the western Hunan-western Hubei area. The Shu culture which was represented by Shuangyuan Village Site in Chengdu Plain during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty had close cultural communication with the Central Plains and Chu cultures. This study reveals that Ba-Shu had a direct exchange of minerals or metal products with the Central Plains and Chu, as well as an imitation based on the identification of the foreign culture and the belief in the local Shu cultural traditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:50:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ed9ff484b4ce4be58e56e5342a845757 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-7445 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:50:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heritage Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-ed9ff484b4ce4be58e56e5342a8457572022-12-22T04:28:55ZengSpringerOpenHeritage Science2050-74452022-09-0110111310.1186/s40494-022-00786-3Cultural exchange and integration: archaeometallurgical case study on underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes from Shuangyuan Village Site in the Eastern Zhou DynastyYuexuan Li0Yingdong Yang1Tianyou Wang2Xiaoting Wang3Wugan Luo4Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and PaleoanthropologyChengdu Archaeological InstituteChengdu Archaeological InstituteKey Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and PaleoanthropologyKey Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and PaleoanthropologyAbstract As typical artifacts of the Ba-Shu culture, bronze dagger-axes have always been highly valued by academia. Underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes were utilized widely in both the Central Plains and southwest China. However, opinions differ on whether these underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes which excavated from Ba-Shu culture were produced locally. Combined with archaeological typology study, p-XRF and MC-ICP-MS were used to analyze 12 underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes unearthed from Shuangyuan Village Site, an Eastern Zhou cemetery in Chengdu city, Sichuan Province, Southwest China in order to investigate the cultural exchange and integration centered on the Shu culture. The composition results show that the majority of samples were made from copper, tin, and lead ternary alloy. The data on lead isotopes indicate that underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes have different mineral sources. The lead isotope ratio 206Pb/204Pb of 18.3 can draw the conclusion to be used as one of the bases for judging that underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes originated in the Chengdu Plain or the Central Plains which was consistent with the typology. The southern China lead materials of underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes in the Ba-Shu and Central Plains style probably came from southern Sichuan; while the rest of underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes in the Central Plains style might use lead materials in the western Hunan-western Hubei area. The Shu culture which was represented by Shuangyuan Village Site in Chengdu Plain during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty had close cultural communication with the Central Plains and Chu cultures. This study reveals that Ba-Shu had a direct exchange of minerals or metal products with the Central Plains and Chu, as well as an imitation based on the identification of the foreign culture and the belief in the local Shu cultural traditions.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-022-00786-3Underneath-blade bronze dagger-axesTypologyLead isotope ratioThe Shu cultureChinaEastern Zhou Dynasty |
| spellingShingle | Yuexuan Li Yingdong Yang Tianyou Wang Xiaoting Wang Wugan Luo Cultural exchange and integration: archaeometallurgical case study on underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes from Shuangyuan Village Site in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty Heritage Science Underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes Typology Lead isotope ratio The Shu culture China Eastern Zhou Dynasty |
| title | Cultural exchange and integration: archaeometallurgical case study on underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes from Shuangyuan Village Site in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty |
| title_full | Cultural exchange and integration: archaeometallurgical case study on underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes from Shuangyuan Village Site in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty |
| title_fullStr | Cultural exchange and integration: archaeometallurgical case study on underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes from Shuangyuan Village Site in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cultural exchange and integration: archaeometallurgical case study on underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes from Shuangyuan Village Site in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty |
| title_short | Cultural exchange and integration: archaeometallurgical case study on underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes from Shuangyuan Village Site in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty |
| title_sort | cultural exchange and integration archaeometallurgical case study on underneath blade bronze dagger axes from shuangyuan village site in the eastern zhou dynasty |
| topic | Underneath-blade bronze dagger-axes Typology Lead isotope ratio The Shu culture China Eastern Zhou Dynasty |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-022-00786-3 |
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