Periodization Of Bronze Wares Unearthed In Sanguan County, Anji, Zhejiang Province

For bronze wares unearthed in Central Plains, thanks to years of dedicated analysis made by archaeologists,there has been an perfect evolution order to serve as the criterion for newly unearthed bronzes to figure out their correct age.In contrast, for most bronzes excavated in the south China, there aren’t unanimous viewpoints towards the age of them. This partly because that there isn’t an agreed judge standard for the periodization. In addition, the number of bronzes unearthed in South China is much less than that excavated in Central Plains. The bronzes of Sanguan County are such examples.Many scholars have tried identifying the age of them,but it turns out that they draw totally different conclusions which verifying from Shang Dynasty to Spring and Autumn Period. Regardless of the small of the bronzes of Sanguan County, the combination, the types and the ornamentations do have great value to research. Besides, many tombs in Spring and Autumn period and Warring States period are found in Zhejiang area,while few tomb of Xia and Shang dynasties are found. According to the reasons stated above, there is an urgent need to periodize the bronzes of Anji. This thesis, based on the previous research achievements, using the method of typology and cultural factor,try to figure out the correct age of the bonzes and to discuss the state of Zhejiang area in Xia,Shang and Zhou dynasties as well as the culture exchanges between Zhejiang and Central Plains. The author claims that the age of bronzes of Anji belong to the late period of Shang dynasty, and the bronzes and jades belong to an mound tomb which is also a tomb of Shang dynasty.