The Appropriation of Early Bronze Technology in China

Abstract

Over the past two decades, there has been increasing archeological evidence from northwest China suggesting a strong link between the beginnings of bronze metallurgy in East Asia and the eastward spread of bronzes across the Eurasian steppe (Fitzgerald-Huber 1995; Mei 2003a; Li, S. 2005; Mei et al. 2012). It has been observed that in terms of object types and manufacturing technologies bronze finds of the late 3rd and early 2nd millennia BC from northwest and northern China contrast sharply with those found in the Central Plains of China, indicating significant distinctions in the appropriation of early bronze technology in different regions (Mei et al. 2015, 223). The appearance of ritual bronzes and the rise of piece-mold casting technology at the Erlitou site in Henan province marked a breakthrough in the early development of bronze metallurgy in the Central Plains. Both regional interaction and local innovations provided further impetus for the development and spread of bronze metallurgy, which has been widely considered a highly significant technological and economic factor in the rise of Chinese civilization in the Central Plains (Mei 2009a, 14; Fang 2010; Liu and Chen 2012, 271). This paper explores the appropriation of early bronze technology in the Central Plains and asks what it was that paved the way for innovations in casting technology, notably piece-mold casting. In an attempt to understand the driving forces behind these innovations, it highlights the role of local cultural and ritual traditions in shaping the trajectories of early bronze technology in this region. Finally, it focuses on the development of bronze technology in regions peripheral to the Central Plains and explores the crucial role played by socio-cultural factors in the evolution of some local bronze traditions.

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