Abstract
This paper examines the form and chemical composition of metal artifacts of three successive cultures of the Hami region. The metal artifacts of the Tianshanbeilu culture are rather diverse in both type and material; body ornaments are dominant, whereas tools and weapons are quantitatively modest. The typological composition and the predominance of body ornaments made of tin bronze, pure copper, and arsenic copper are reminiscent of the Karasuk culture in the Minusinsk Basin and the Siba culture in the Hexi Corridor. Apart from the bulk metal types, there are gold, lead, and antimonial copper. The metal artifacts of the succeeding culture of Yanbulake are morphologically derived from Tianshanbeilu. In the subsequent Heigouliang culture, apart from old types of metal artifacts inherited from the Yanbulake culture, there are a number of new types of artifacts that are morphologically derived from nomadic cultures in the Eurasian steppe. In the cultures of Yanbulake and Heigouliang, the use of tin bronze, arsenic copper, and pure copper prevailed. The source of minerals, especially tin, which is used throughout the three successive cultures, awaits further investigation. Keywords: Xinjiang, Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, metallurgy, Eurasia
Highlights
Eastern Xinjiang, which is coterminous with the Hami region, is comprised of the eastern terminal of the Tianshan Mountains, flanked by the Hami Basin to the south and the Barkol Plain to the north
The typological composition and the predominance of body ornaments made of tin bronze, pure copper, and arsenic copper are reminiscent of the Karasuk culture in the Minusinsk Basin and the Siba culture in the Hexi Corridor
In the subsequent Heigouliang culture, apart from old types of metal artifacts inherited from the Yanbulake culture, there are a number of new types of artifacts that are morphologically derived from nomadic cultures in the Eurasian steppe
Summary
Eastern Xinjiang, which is coterminous with the Hami region, is comprised of the eastern terminal of the Tianshan Mountains, flanked by the Hami Basin to the south and the Barkol Plain to the north. They are 0.4–1.6 cm long, and 0.5–0.7 cm in diameter, and occur singly or in pairs, as in the example of T12: 9 (Fig. 11.-3). The shaft of one (M6: 2) contains remnants of wood, rendered in the form of hand, 2.7 cm long and 1 cm wide Another two items (both unlabeled) are chisel-shaped and flanked with two wings, whose forms are unprecedented in the Tianshanbeilu culture (Fig. 11.-11, 13). Dome-shaped, they have long arch grips, as in the example of an unlabeled item (Fig. 10.-1) They measure 1.5 cm and 2.4 cm in diameter respectively. It should be noted that the abovementioned three mirrors are tinned
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
