A Divergent Life History of Bronze Willow-Leaf-Shaped Swords of Western Zhou China from the Eleventh to the Tenth Century <scp>bce</scp>

Sun, Yan

doi:10.1017/9781108560726.007

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…21) as it has significant impacts on human health (Li et al, 2014;Marek, 2019;Rayman, 2000). In south China, reasonable levels of selenium are available, as the heavy rains circulate minerals through the landscape (Sun et al, 2016), but this area is poorly suited to horse breeding for other environmental reasons. For the Central Plains, and extending north and south along the regions covered by the Monsoon, greater rain increases selenium availability, but this selenium is rapidly volatilised in the summer heat, encouraged by microorganisms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking Horses: Allies, Clients and Exchanges in the Zhou Period (1045–221 BC)

2021

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Horses and chariots—and the associated technology and expertise—derived from the steppe contributed to the success of the Zhou conquest of the Shang in c. 1045 BC and remained important throughout Zhou rule in ancient China. On the basis of material cultural patterns, including the style and material used in bridle cheek-pieces found in tombs of the late second and early first millennium BC, this paper points to a northern origin for Zhou horses. Important intermediaries, providing these horses, were the clans whose cemeteries have been identified on the northern edges of the Central Plains. The necessity for repeated exchanges bringing south horses from the north was a consequence of key environmental differences between the steppe and the Central Plains, including climate, geomorphology, essential soil nutrients, and land use. These created significant difficulties in sustainably breeding and pasturing horses of quality. As a result, the people of the Central Plains were bound, over millennia, to seek horses from the northwest, along a cultural corridor that also moved northern materials and technologies, such as gold-, iron- and some bronze-working, into the Central Plains from the steppes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking Horses: Allies, Clients and Exchanges in the Zhou Period (1045–221 BC)

2021

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“…While other types of bronze swords have been improved in shape, such as in length and spine, the willow leafshaped bronze sword continues an ancient form that has remained the same for centuries [3,6]. They were in continuous use and became widely popular during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in Ba and Shu, two important states that existed mainly in present-day Chongqing city and Sichuan Province (Fig.…”

Section: The Archaeological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the Bronze Age of southwest China, the bronze sword with a willow-leaf shaped blade was the most commonly used weapon, and the archaeological finds are not only numerous but also concentrated [2]. The willow-leaf shaped swords are a distinctive bronze weapon type dating from the late second millennium to the tenth century BCE or during the late Shang and Western Zhou periods in ancient China [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The biggest difference is that the willow-leaf shaped sword lacks a cross guard between the flat grip and the blade, and it also has no pommel. To use this type of sword, a wooden hilt would have been secured onto the short grip by an encircling cord that crosses one or two perforations on the grip [3]. Another discrepancy is that the willow-leaf shaped swords were usually cast integrally with the slender blade, while some Central Plains bronze swords used a complex process of segmented casting [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Improvement and integration: scientific analyses of willow-leaf shaped bronze swords excavated from the Shuangyuan Village Cemetery, Chengdu, China

Chen

Yang²,

Wang³

et al. 2022

Herit Sci

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Willow-leaf shaped sword is a kind of exclusive bronze weapon popular only in the states of Ba and Shu during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC). Its prototype may originate from Central Asia and India and is a typical example of a trans-regional and cross-cultural artifact. Here, we present a scientific study of willow-leaf shaped swords of Shu State from the Shuangyuan Village Cemetery, Chengdu, by pXRF and MC-ICP-MS, and attempted to argue for the improvement and integration of weapon production in Shu by characterizing its elemental composition and lead isotopic signature. The results show that there is a significant difference in the tin content and lead material source between the Ba and Shu bronze swords. This feature can be applied as an important indicator to distinguish willow-leaf shaped swords from Ba and Shu, especially when the appearances are almost confused. The alloy formula of the Shu bronze sword was influenced by the bronze-making technology of Chu and other states. Combining the published lead isotope data of the willow-shaped bronze swords, it can be inferred that Shu State has produced bronze weapons with considerable frequency and in many batches, which was a major motivation for triggering faster progress in its craft.

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2019

Early China

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A Divergent Life History of Bronze Willow-Leaf-Shaped Swords of Western Zhou China from the Eleventh to the Tenth Century bce

Cited by 3 publications

References 4 publications

Seeking Horses: Allies, Clients and Exchanges in the Zhou Period (1045–221 BC)

Seeking Horses: Allies, Clients and Exchanges in the Zhou Period (1045–221 BC)

Improvement and integration: scientific analyses of willow-leaf shaped bronze swords excavated from the Shuangyuan Village Cemetery, Chengdu, China

Annual Bibliography

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