A Multiple Study of Bronze Casting and Distribution in Eastern Zhou Period

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K13411
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 03050:Archaeology-related
• Research Institution: Sen-oku Hakuko Kan
• Principal Investigator: Yamamoto Takashi 公益財団法人泉屋博古館, 学芸課(本館), 学芸員 (90821108)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 春秋戦国時代 / 青銅器 / 鋳造技法 / 金文 / 中央集権化 / 生産体制

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Eastern Zhou period, one of the major turning point of ancient Chinese society, saw a dynamic change of producing and distributing of bronze vessels. The author closely analysed characteristic motifs and patterns of Eastern Zhou bronze vessels to determine the change took place between BCE5c and BCE4c, which closely relates with the emergence of centralised polity in the Warring States Period.
The author also discussed the characteristics of casting technology of Eastern Zhou bronzes from the view point of experimental archaeology. With the successful casting experiments, the author proposed new hypotheses of the casting methods of decoration and inscription of bronze vessels.

Free Research Field

中国考古学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果により、従来、文献史学では様相不明とされてきた前5世紀から前4世紀にかけての時期が、春秋戦国時代の社会変化を捉えるうえできわめて重要な意義を有することが考古学的観点から明らかになった。また、これまで未解明とされてきた青銅器の施紋技法・銘文製作技法についても蓋然性の高い仮説を提示することができた。特に、後者に関しては漢字形成史を考えるうえでもきわめて重要な意義を有する発見といえる。