Early bronze in two Holocene archaeological sites in Gansu, NW China

Abstract

Understanding of the origin and development of bronze technology in eastern Asia remains unresolved. Here we report on the distribution of copper and associated cations in sediments from Huoshiliang in northwestern Gansu, China, strontium and lead isotope analyses of ore and slag samples, and some artifact fragments at archaeological sites at Ganggangwa and Huoshiliang in the Black River valley.We conclude that bronze production began perhaps as early as 2135 BC and that the Baishantang modern mine site at Dingxin was a possible source of copper ore. There was at least one other, but currently unidentified, source of ore. The Bronze Age people were also farmers and planted cereals such as wheat, and they may have abandoned the region when wood was exhausted and desertification took over.

Lead atmospheric deposition rates and isotopic trends in Asian dust during the last 9.5kyr recorded in an ombrotrophic peat bog on the eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

“…Samples and NIST-SRM (4) and Chinese loess Plateau (5) of northern China. Ancient centres of mining/smelting activities with available Pb data are shown and are the Baishantang mine in the Gansu province (Dodson et al, 2009) and different sites in the Hubei (6), Jianxi (7) and Heinan (8) provinces (Peng et al, 1999). The location of other environmental archives to which the HYLK-1 core is compared are also shown and include Lianghzi Lake (Lee et al, 2008), the Motianling peatland (Bao et al, 2010) and Lake Huguang Maar (Yancheva et al, 2007).…”

“…and Zhou (1045-246 B.C. ) dynasties (Peng et al, 1999) as well as early bronze production from the nearby Gansu province in northwestern China (Dodson et al, 2009). Values are presented in Table 2.…”

Cranial metric, age and isotope analysis of human remains from Huoshiliang, western Gansu, China

“…Elsewhere, we have published evidence of bronze technology (Dodson et al 2009) and we have also noted that wheat, barley and oats at Huoshiliang are among the oldest in China (Li et al 2007). It is probable that this mix arose from western Asia and is thus indicative of at least strong east-west interaction by around 2000 BC.…”

“…We interpret the site as a population centre where cropping, animal husbandry and bronze smelting was carried out. We believe that the majority of copper ore for smelting came from the Baishantang mine site, which is located about 100 km north of Huoshiliang (Dodson et al 2009). The area is now devoid of trees, but the abundant charcoal indicates the area had significant woodland at the time of occupation.…”

“…We have radiocarbon dates on five charcoal samples collected over a 1.6 m depth profile, and these are consistently aged between 3500 BP and 3600 BP (Dodson et al 2009). In addition, we have a date from a wheat seed, of 3635 ± 45 BP.…”