Evolution of Mongolian bronze technology with the rise of the Xiongnu State

The emergence of the Xiongnu State in Mongolia reflected a period of increasing foreign influence, especially from China. Metallurgy was likely one of the key cultural components that may have reacted sensitively to this influence. In our ongoing project focusing on metallic objects excavated from t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inArchaeological and anthropological sciences Vol. 9; no. 5; pp. 789 - 798
Main Authors Park, Jang-Sik, Diimaajav, Erdenebaatar, Gelegdorj, Eregzen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2017
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Anthropology
Archaeology
Arsenic
Chemistry/Food Science
Copper
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Geography
Lead
Life Sciences
Metallurgy
Original Paper
Steppes
Technology
Tin
Bronze
Mongolia
Technological transition
Xiongnu
Foreign impact
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Summary:The emergence of the Xiongnu State in Mongolia reflected a period of increasing foreign influence, especially from China. Metallurgy was likely one of the key cultural components that may have reacted sensitively to this influence. In our ongoing project focusing on metallic objects excavated from the royal Xiongnu tomb at Golmod 2, we found a group of bronze artifacts possessing an important clue as to the general understanding of the contemporary Xiongnu bronze industry. The assemblage in question consists of 21 exotic ornaments, each nearly identical in shape and size and all associated with the horse-drawn wagons interred in the tomb. They were made of copper alloys containing on average 3.8 % arsenic, 3.0 % lead, and 1.3 % tin by weight. This recipe was a continuation of the unique steppe bronze tradition drawing on the copper-arsenic system as dictated by limited access to tin. The addition of lead, however, was a notable departure driven apparently by Xiongnu-Han interaction. This development likely reveals an important facet of the Xiongnu communities seeking a refined adjustment to the bronze recipe. This enhancement likely served to meet the growing demand for exotic items such as those under consideration, whose stylistic characteristics have led to erroneous conclusions as to the political affiliation of their producers.
ISSN:1866-9557
1866-9565
DOI:10.1007/s12520-015-0304-x