Scientific Study Of Bronze Artifiacts In The Western Liaoning

The Western Liaoning, located in the junction region of the North China Plain, Northeast China Plain and Inner Mongolia Plateau, is one of the earliest areas entering into the Bronze Age of China, and so it is an important channel for the cultural exchange between the Central Plains, the Northeast and the Korean Peninsula. Since 1970s, a number of metal artifacts of Shang, Zhou and There-Yan period(s3-5 century AD), as well as many bronze smelting sites have been found inthis region, have been, which provided a great deal of physical information for the researching on the development and utilization of early mining, metallurgy technology.Element composition Lead isotope ratio were performed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP–OES), scanning electron microscopy spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) on metal artifacts of Shang, Chou from the western Liaoning. The element composition shows the copper-based alloy of the bronzes in Shang, Chou can be divided into four categories: copper, tin bronze leaded tin bronze and arsenic bronze. Lead isotope ratio indicate the lead of part of bronze in Shang and Zhou dynasty may come from QingChengZi Lead-Zinc Deposit,DongSheng Lead-Zinc Deposit in Liaoning,and the copper may be from Dajing polymetallic deposit in inner mongolia; Also, metal resouce and metal ware may be circulated between the western of Liaoning and the North China in There-Yan period.In addition, element composition and lead isotope ratio were analysed on the There-Yan metal artifacts from the western Liaoning. The element composition shows that the alloy type of bronze is multifarious, whith include copper, tin bronze, leaded tin bronze and lead, and the alloy type of a majority of container is leaded tin bronze, the alloy type of the most harness is pure copper. At the same time, the metallographic structure of harness were observed, the result show that Processing Type of the most harness is hot forging. Lead isotope ratio indicate, the lead of leadwork come from GuanMenShan Lead-Zinc Deposit, BaJiaZi Lead-Zinc Deposit, the lead of leaded tin bronze ware may be from South China region; the copper of copper ware may come from copper meterial deposits in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtes river. Besides, this result also indicates metal resouce and metal ware may be circulated between the western of Liaoning and the southern region of China in There-Yan period.Lead isotope analyses was first applied on the study of the sources of ores about the bronzes in Shang and Chou dynasty and Metal artifacts in There-Yan period from the western Liaoning, and this result not just offer the Valuable scientific data to understand the trade and flow of metal resources in Shang , Shang and Zhou dynasty and Three-Yan Shang period, and the cultural exchanges in Northeast Asia, but also provides a new perspective to further understand the relationship between the western Liaoning culture and Central Plains culture..