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Cross boundaries: the Bronze Age in China and Asia
The First Symposium of the United Laboratories for Archaeological Science
(1st ULAS)
September 5-7, 2014, USTC, Hefei, China
The USTC Archaeometry Laboratory and the T. Douglas Price Laboratory for
Archaeological Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison welcome you to the
first symposium of the United Laboratories for Archaeological Science (1st ULAS). The
key purpose of this Symposium is to connect archaeologists and scientists with common
interests in Bronze Age China and specifically to integrate, through planning joint
research projects, work being done by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers
and Chinese colleagues working in the Yellow River region, Yangtze region and
Southeast Asia.
Co-organizers:
James Burton, Senior Scientist, Director T. Douglas Price Laboratory for
Archaeological Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Zheng-Yao Jin, Professor, Head of USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of
Science and Technology of China
Key Participants:
Sheng-Hua Li, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Lifeng Yan, Professor, USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science
and Technology of China
Li-Feng Yan, Professor, USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and
Technology of China
Ji-Gen Tang, Archaeologist, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences - Beijing and
Director of the Anyang Work Station
Nam C. Kim, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of
Wisconsin-Madison
An-Chuan Fan, Associate Professor, USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of
Science and Technology of China
Presentation abstracts:
Grating-jointed bronze steamers in 11c. BCE ~ 8c. BCE China: Structure,
manufacturing technique, spatial distribution and valuable insight
Zheng-Yao Jin
USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
The difficulty of studying the grating-jointed bronze steamers of the Late Shang
Dynasty and the Western Zhou Dynasty leads to confusion among researchers. In the
present study, related issues are investigated systematically to fill this research gap. The
results show that the steamers‟ structure can be seen as a one-line-five-point assembly.
Their manufacturing techniques can be categorized as loop cast-on and hook cast-on,
which developed from the traditional cast-on technique, and hook cast-soldering, which
developed from a cast-repair technique. The differences in regional distribution and
prevailing times for the three types of steamers are summarized. The results provide an
insight into the technology of bronze manufacturing during Bronze Age China.
Isotopic analysis of dental enamel as a tool for exploring human mobility in Bronze
Age China
James Burton
Anthropology Department, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Because human dental enamel develops during early childhood and retains its
composition unchanged, comparing enamel compositions, especially isotopes of
strontium, carbon, and oxygen, can reveal who was locally born and who was not. An
example will be presented that explores mobility at the late Shang Dynasty site of Yinxu
(Anyang), revealling that some elites came from multiple locations outside the Yellow
River region, including quite far south in the Yangtze region.
A Study of the Human Sacrificial Remains at the Yinxu Royal Cemetery and the
Records of the Oracle Bone Inscriptions of the Qiang People Concerning Ritual
Killings
Ji-Gen Tang,
Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China
According to the Oracle Bone Inscriptions, many Qiang people were killed and offered
to the ancestors of the Shang kings. The most frequent number of the Qiang „victims‟ is
1,3,5, 10, 30, 50, 100 and 300. Yinxu, the capital settlement of the late Shang Dynasty,
is the only Shang Dynasty archaeological site that has massive numbers of human
sacrificial victims along with oracle bone records. The scale of sacrificial activity, the
number of the victims and even the method of killing livestock all match records in the
oracle bone inscriptions. These discoveries provide an excellent background for the
strontium isotope study of human skeletons from the Human Sacrificial Pits, Yinxu,
Anyang.
Human Settlements and Climate Changes over the Last Ten Thousand Years on
the Ordos Plateau
Sheng-Hua Li
Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
The Mu Us Desert is on the Southeast Ordos Plateau adjacent to the Loess Plateau and
situated in the zone affected by the Asian monsoon. The region lies in the northwestern
marginal zone of the east Asian summer monsoon and is sensitive to climate change.
The climate in the Ordos Plateau changed significantly in the last 10 thousand years.
Human settlements and migrations in the region have shown a close relationship with
climate changes. This presentation explores the natural and human impacts on climate
changes and the settlements for the last 10 thousand years. It has shown that interactions
of natural climate forcing and human activities have intensified in the last 2000 years.
Co Loa: An Ancient Settlement of the Red River Delta of Vietnam
Nam C. Kim and Tegan McGillivray
Anthropology Department, University of Wisconsin - Madison
The Co Loa site in Vietnam‟s Red River Delta is believed to be one of the first capitals of
a proto-Vietnamese civilization. Recent archaeological investigations have demonstrated
that the site was likely established as an important political center sometime during the
third century BC, lending support to Vietnamese textual traditions regarding an
indigenous, early state-level society. Beyond significance for early Vietnamese history,
Co Loa also offers important insights about trajectories of urban development,
sociopolitical change, agricultural production, and human-landscape interaction during
the Iron Age of the region.
Scientific Analyses of Bronze Steamers from Yejiashan Western Zhou Cemetery in
Suizhou, Hubei, China
Ying-Yu Liu1, Zheng-Yao Jin1*, An-Chuan Fan1, Feng-Chun Huang2, Fang
Huang3,Ying-Zi Zhang-Sun1
1
USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of
China2Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
3
School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China,
The bronze steamer was an important type of cooking vessel during the Shang and Zhou
dynasties. This study examines the relationship between the metal sources and the
bronze casting foundries for the production of cooking vessels during the Early Western
Zhou period. Nineteen samples from ten bronze steamers and two metal ingots
excavated from the Yejiashan cemetery were analyzed by ICP-OES and MC-ICP-MS
for chemical and lead isotope compositions. The alloy types and lead isotope ratios of
the bronze steamers were compared with those of the Early Western Zhou bronze
steamers in the Sacklar and Izumiya Museum collections and with recently excavated
vessels from the Jinhou cemetery in Shanxi province and the Yu state cemetery in Baoji,
Shanxi province.
Direct observation on the multilayer structure of the ancient lacquer by SR-CT
Zhi Xie1，Gong Li2， Xiao-Chen Zhang2，Zhi-Yun Pan1, Zhengyao Jin2, Fan Yang3
1
National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and technology of
China
2
USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
3. Yunnan Provincial Institute of Culture Relics and Archaeology
A comprehensive and direct CT non-destructive scan was used in this research on the
ancient lacquer in the nobles‟ tombs of the Gouting kingdom，which is a minority
regime of Yunnan in the period of the Han Dynasty. It revealed the multilayer structure
of the lacquer, embedded with decorative dragonfly-eye, turquoise, China purple stone,
Hematite Beads, and so on. Thus the grave lacquerware samples are suspected to come
from a jewelry box. After deteriorating in the soil, the clapboards collapsed. Combined
with the SR-XRF and XAFS result, the different layers of lacquerware debris still can
be “restored” to reveal what they were two thousand years ago.
Analysis of the Adhesive Agent in Bronze Fabrications of Ancient Dian Kingdom
Gong Li1, Li-Feng Yan1, Biao Chen1, Zheng-Yao Jin1，Xiu Liu2
1. USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
2. Yunnan Provincial Institute of Culture Relics and Archaeology
In the ancient Dian kingdom, many gems were fixed as ornaments onto the surfaces of
bronzes with adhesive agents. However, there are still many unknowns about their
chemical compositions and how they were prepared. Here, samples of adhesive agents
found on bronzes of the ancient Dian kingdom were studied by X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy (XPS) and FT-IR spectroscopy. The results reveal that the main
composition of the adhesive agent is glue made from animal bones.
Firing temperature estimation of pottery from Jinlianshan and Xueshan sites at
Fuxian Lake, Yunnan Province
An-Chuan Fan1, Zheng-Yao Jin1, You-Jin Wu1, Zhi-Long Jiang2
1
USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
2
Yunnan Provincial Institute of Culture Relics and Archaeology
Abstract
Thermal history, especially the firing temperature of ceramic, is of great importance in
archaeological research. The firing serves as the zeroing event required in luminescence
dating. It also provides a key basis for understanding ancient manufacturing techniques.
In our previous studies (Jin et al., 2012), the luminescence properties of quartz extracted
from an archaeological „core sand‟ from a cow-shaped bronze ornament unearthed at
Lijiashan Site (3. BC-2.AD) in Yunnan, southwest China were investigated. Sensitivity
of 110 °C TL and 210° C TL glow peaks showed a clear dependence on re-firing
temperatures. The results led us to apply the sensitization characteristics of
luminescence to estimate the firing temperature of ceramics.
In the present study, we focus on a variety of pottery unearthed at Jinlianshan and
Xueshan Sites, Yunnan, China. Polarizing microscope observation suggests that there
are generally two types by color and mineral composition- reddish ones with quartz and
iron oxide, and dark brown ones, which contain carbonates. The material and context of
the sherds suggests a wide range of firing temperatures, which makes them ideal
samples to test the reliability of using luminescence properties to estimate firing
temperature in the past.
Isotope studies of human remains from Mayutian, Yunnan Province, China
Xing-Xiang Zhang1,2, James Burton2, Zheng-Yao Jin1*,Ming-Hua Xiao3, An-Chuan Fan 1,
Ji-Feng Xu4
1
USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
2
Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
3
Yunnan Provincial Institute of Culture Relics and Archaeology
4
CAS Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochronology and Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute
ofGeochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
In order to examine human mobility during the first millennium BC in the Red River
region of Southeast Asia, we examine strontium and stable isotopes in human dental
enamel from the Mayutian site. We here report the initial results from this area. Local
individuals have 87Sr/86Sr values of 0.7096±0.0003.The highest status individual of
Mayutian is distinctly different (0.7066) suggesting a geographic origin further northwest,
possibly near Dali. Stable isotopes reveal a mixture of C3 and C4 resources in the diet
and indicate that they did not have an agricultural strategy dominated by either millet or
rice.
The preliminary microscopic observation and comparison of red beads unearthed
from Yunnan and Korea peninsula
Ji-Hye Ku1，Zheng-Yao Jin1, An-Chuan Fan1, Li-Feng Yan1, Fan Yang2
1. USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
2. Yunnan Provincial Institute of Culture Relics and Archaeology, China
Microscopy and SEM-EDS methods are used to analyze the structure and composition of
19 red beads from two archaeological sites-11 samples (the Western Han Dynasty) from
Muyi cemetery site in Guangnan county of Yunnan province, China and 8 samples (4th
centuray AD, three Kingdoms period of Korean Peninsula) from Hwaseong-si Bongdameup Maha-ri of Kyeonggi, Korea respectively. The result indicates that the basic structure
and chemical composition are similar in both sites whereas the only difference may be in
the sintering temperatures.
Lead isotope analysis of bronzes unearthed from Tanheli site in Hunan Province
Jiang-Bo Ma1, Zheng-Yao Jin1*, An-Chuan Fan1, Tao-Chu Xiang2, Fu-Kun Chen3
1
USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
2
Yuelushuyuan School, Hunan University
3
School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China
Lead isotopic compositions were measured for 26 bronzes excavated from the ShangZhou transition period site of Tanheli, which is located in Ningxiang County, Hunan
province. The isotopic signature of the bronzes were compared with those of over 100
bronze samples collected in Late Shang sites such as Yin Ruins, Sanxingdui and Xingan,
and with the signatures of anomalous lead tin-polymetallic ores in Jiangxi and Hunan.
This work shows the effectiveness of using lead isotopic analysis to trace the metal
sources used in Shang and Zhou bronze production.
Spacer Techniques in Ancient Dian Bronze Casting
Gong Li1，Zheng-Yao Jin1, An-Chuan Fan1, Zhi-Long Jiang2
1. USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
2. Yunnan Provincial Institute of Culture Relics and Archaeology, China
The Jinlianshan site is a recently discovered cemetery of the Ancient Dian Kingdom,
where a lot of exquisite Bronzes were excavated. These Bronzes, along with other
Ancient Dian Bronzes, are mostly made by casting. For the larger ones, such as the
vessels and drums, spacers can be easily found in their walls. The spacers are used to fix
the distance between the inner cores and outer moulds during the casting process to make
sure a certain thickness of the artifact can be obtaiend. According to our investigation,
two different types of spacer were found in the Jinlianshan Bronzes. One type is made of
bronze-like metal; however, there is another type of spacer which is not metal. In the wall
of a local modeling vessel, three non-metal spacers were found. IR and SEM analyses
show that they were made from local clay. Taking the alloy type of the vessels into
consideration, it is suggested that these two types of spacers may refer to two different
casting techniques.