Scientific analysis and research on the Warring States bronze mirrors unearthed from Changsha Chu cemetery, Hunan province, China

Abstract

AbstractChangsha is one of the densest areas where Warring States bronze mirrors have been unearthed in mainland China. This article first conducts a systematic scientific analysis and research on the Warring States bronze mirrors unearthed from Changsha Chu cemetery. The chemical composition analysis data of 23 bronze mirrors show that most of the bronze mirrors are Cu‐Sn‐Pb ternary alloy, and the bronze mirrors containing metal bodies are mainly high Sn Sn‐Pb bronze. The metallographic microstructures of four bronze mirrors are all high Sn Sn‐Pb bronze casting structures. The results of Pb isotope ratio analysis show that the Pb isotope data of all bronze mirrors conform to the characteristics of common Pb, and their distribution can be divided into three groups. Most of the Pb materials used in bronze mirrors probably come from local mines in Hunan. This fully reveals the importance of Hunan's local metal resources in the production activities of Changsha Chu mirrors. Combining the results of Pb isotope research and related archaeological data, Changsha should be one of the most developed regions in the mirror casting industry of the Chu State during the Warring States period, and it plays a significant role in the bronze production system and metal resource circulation network of the Chu State.