The excavation of the bronze casting remains in Zhuangli Locus West at Zhouyuan Site
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Zhouyuan Archaeological Team, Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Abstract
In the springs of the years 2003 and 2004, the two terms of excavations of Zhouyuan Archaeological Team to the Locus West of Zhuangli Village uncovered 650sq m in total, from which 27 burials, one chariot and horse pit and 57 ash pits of the Western Zhou Dynasty were excavated. This report mainly introduces the ash pits and the potteries and bronze casting implements unearthed from these ash pits and strata. The analyses to the potteries showed that the excavated remains were formed in the later stage of the mid Western Zhou Dynasty to the late Western Zhou Dynasty. The pottery molds were found in six strata, 25 pits and the fills and looting tunnels of four burials. Most of the molds were abandoned fragments after stripping, and the original types and patterns of 587 pieces of them could be identified. Most of these molds were outer molds and few of them were inner molds and cores. The molds for casting chariot and horse fittings took the first position in amount, followed by that for casting miscellanies, vessels, weapons and tools. The identified types are ding-tripods, yongzhong-bells, bells, ge-dagger axes, plaques, belt ornaments, linchpins, axle hubs, horse bits, cowries, chariot bells, knives with ring-shaped pommels, and so on. The decorative patterns had totally 19 types. The artifacts and remains related to bronze casting are furnace wall fragments, pottery pipes, mushroom-shaped clay struts, etc. Bronze slag and small bronze items were also found in the remains. The materials fetched in these excavations are very valuable for the researches on the bronze producing techniques, work organizations and product circulations of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
© 2013 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co.
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Contents
- New archaeological discoveries in 2011
- The Yejiashan Cemetery of the Western Zhou Dynasty in Suizhou City, Hubei
- The tombs of the Han Dynasty at the Dayun Hill in Xuyi County, Jiangsu
- The Han tomb near Lingsheng Lake in Dingtao County, Shandong
- The Chang mo Grottoes in Dinggyê County, Tibet
- Spotlight
- The excavation of the house remains of Yangshao Culture at Xiahe Site in Baishui County, Shaanxi
- The large houses of Xiahe Site in Baishui County, Shaanxi
- Reports
- The Hualong Cave upper Paleolithic site in Dongzhi County, Anhui
- The remains of Yangshao Culture at Xiaowu Site in Lingbao City, Henan
- Excavation of the Neolithic city site at Zhangxiwan in Huangpi District, Wuhan
- Neolithic Yejiamiao City Site in Xiaogan, Hubei
- The excavation of the bronze casting remains in Zhuangli Locus West at Zhouyuan Site
- The excavation of the Xiongjiazhong Graveyard in Jingzhou, Hubei in 2008
- Excavation of Liu Shen’s tomb of the Western Han Dynasty on Heitou Hill in Xuzhou, Jiangsu
- The mural tomb of the Northern Wei Dynasty at Yunboli in Datong City, Shanxi
- Architectural foundation No. 5 of the Northern Wei Palace found at Han-Wei Luoyang City, Henan
- The Buddhist sculpture hoard at Bei Wuzhuang in Ye City Site at Linzhang County, Hebei Province
- Excavation of the cultural remains in front of the Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Caves
- Research
- On the archaeology of traditional industry
- The Miaodigou Age and “early China”
- On the custom of burying dogs in prehistoric burials
- The restoration of the chariots of the Warring-States Period in Majiayuan, Gansu
- On the Kele Culture
- Bronze casting techniques of the Erlitou Culture period
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Contents
- New archaeological discoveries in 2011
- The Yejiashan Cemetery of the Western Zhou Dynasty in Suizhou City, Hubei
- The tombs of the Han Dynasty at the Dayun Hill in Xuyi County, Jiangsu
- The Han tomb near Lingsheng Lake in Dingtao County, Shandong
- The Chang mo Grottoes in Dinggyê County, Tibet
- Spotlight
- The excavation of the house remains of Yangshao Culture at Xiahe Site in Baishui County, Shaanxi
- The large houses of Xiahe Site in Baishui County, Shaanxi
- Reports
- The Hualong Cave upper Paleolithic site in Dongzhi County, Anhui
- The remains of Yangshao Culture at Xiaowu Site in Lingbao City, Henan
- Excavation of the Neolithic city site at Zhangxiwan in Huangpi District, Wuhan
- Neolithic Yejiamiao City Site in Xiaogan, Hubei
- The excavation of the bronze casting remains in Zhuangli Locus West at Zhouyuan Site
- The excavation of the Xiongjiazhong Graveyard in Jingzhou, Hubei in 2008
- Excavation of Liu Shen’s tomb of the Western Han Dynasty on Heitou Hill in Xuzhou, Jiangsu
- The mural tomb of the Northern Wei Dynasty at Yunboli in Datong City, Shanxi
- Architectural foundation No. 5 of the Northern Wei Palace found at Han-Wei Luoyang City, Henan
- The Buddhist sculpture hoard at Bei Wuzhuang in Ye City Site at Linzhang County, Hebei Province
- Excavation of the cultural remains in front of the Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Caves
- Research
- On the archaeology of traditional industry
- The Miaodigou Age and “early China”
- On the custom of burying dogs in prehistoric burials
- The restoration of the chariots of the Warring-States Period in Majiayuan, Gansu
- On the Kele Culture
- Bronze casting techniques of the Erlitou Culture period
