Study of the mineral source of Western Han bronzes unearthed in Guangzhou
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(1. Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, Guangzhou 510006, China;2. Southern Han Mausoleums Museum, Guangzhou 510006, China;3. Guangzhou Conservation and Research Center for Cultural Heritage of Maritime Silk Road, Guangzhou 510006, China)

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    Abstract:

    A large number of Han Dynasty bronzes unearthed in Guangzhou have brought about many achievements in their archaeology, but there are fewer studies of their provenances using archaeometric methods. In this study, the compositions and lead isotope ratios of the Western Han Dynasty bronzes unearthed in Guangzhou were analyzed and then compared with those of bronzes from the same period unearthed in Guangxi, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Anhui, Hubei, Henan, Hebei and Beijing. According to their remarkable characteristics of being arsenic-containing, it was believed that they might share the same mineral source with the bronzes from the same period unearthed in Hepu, Guangxi. The lead isotope ratios tested were highly concentrated, indicating the mineral should come from the same place. Through the comparison of lead isotope ratios of bronzes from the Warring States Period to the Western Han Dynasty in Guangdong, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi and Henan, it was found that the bronzes unearthed in Guangdong, Guizhou and Yunnan belonged to a large ore-forming area, obviously different from those unearthed in Henan and Shaanxi, etc. It was verified that the Western Han Dynasty bronzes unearthed in the Lingnan region were native to local places.

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History
  • Received:February 24,2022
  • Revised:June 29,2022
  • Adopted:
  • Online: November 02,2023
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