The Origin Of Chinese Bronzes And Its New Investigations With Early State Relations

In recent year, the academia research on the origin of civilization with archaeological practice. Generally we considered the origin of Chinese civilization must contain the following four factors, the emergence and application of writing system, the emergence of the city, the casting and use of bronze and the emergence of large ceremonial buildings.The casting and use of bronze reflect the development of the productive forces and the relations of production of the society. The study of its origin not only helps us to understand the civilization of our early society, but also can help us to study the early state.There are five areas unearthed the Early Bronze, the Central Plains region, Gan Qing region, Northern region, Haidai region and Southern region.So far, Early Bronze and copper artifacts unearthed has reached more than 1000 pieces of bronze in these area, with early detection and identification are also more than 600, accounting for more than half of the total number.These Early Bronze and copper artifacts unearthed representative the emergence and development of the Early Bronze.In the early Yangshao culture, Central Plains region unearthed the earliest original copper alloy-brass, and Gan Qing region unearthed the earliest original copper alloy bronze,which later about 1500 years than the Central Plains region. During the period of Longshan culture, northern region found only a bronze, and in the late period of Dawenkou Culture, Haidai region also found Pseudomonas. In these areas, Gan Qing region unearthed most early Bronze, which had the clear development context. Due to the forging technology had existed for a long time, early bronzes of Gan Qing region were less, mainly to small tools, and did not appear copper container; The Central Plains region unearthed the number of early Bronze only inferior to in Gansu and Qinghai provinces, but bronze development degree was the highest in the same period, especially early Bronzes Excavated from the Erlitou site represented the highest level at that time. Erlitou three period unearthed the earliest bronze ritual vessels, copper Jue, fan made from the fan system to the maturity of smelting, increasing the level of awareness of the chemical composition of copper alloy, and the Central Plains region had entered the typical of the bronze age; After the middle period of the Xia Dynasty, Northern region began to appear a large number of early bronzes, due to bronze showing the dominant feature in the beginning, so its development context was not very clear, single type, mainly to small decorations, no copper vessels. Compared to the above three regions,Haidai region unearthed the early bronzes was least, but the development train was relatively clear, the main bronze were small tools and ornaments, and did not appear large bronze ritual vessels; A limited number of early bronzes unearthed in south area,location were fragmented and difficult into system. Therefore, only listed excavated sites, quantity and unearthed during.China’s "the Chalcolithic era" is different from the history of metallurgy "copper age": it is not only a period of pure copper, but pure copper, bronze and arsenical copper coexist in a special period. It began from metallurgy (dating back 5000 years or so), ended with the typical Bronze Age (Erlitou culture’s three period)’s arrival.It continues for as long as more than 2000 years. China’s Metallurgical art was born in Guanzhong of the middle reaches of the Yellow River, along with the exchange and migration of culture. It spreads to other areas, and forms a variety of early copper alloy material. The origin of the bronze ware of China is based on the late Ganqing and the Central Plains region developed independently. The Central Plains region of origin of bronze is the late Taosi culture, time at the end of the third millennium BC; Gan Qing region bronze originated in the late Qijia culture in early Xia Dynasty.Early bronzes unearthed from the Erlitou site, represent the highest level of this time. Smelting and casting’s separation is no later than two or three period of Erlitou. Production technologies like the fan material, the system of fan, processing and casting has been mastered. Copper workshops were built in Gongcheng, and there is a wall, which reflects the monopoly of advanced copper technology of the ruling class.As one of the four elements of civilization, bronze, it reflects the social division of labor-the handicraft from agriculture and become an independent industry. The funerary bronzes reflect the degree of class differentiation. Distribution region of copper workshops reflects the early state of copper technologies’ monopoly. Early countries make use of bronze’ influences just like "worship and military",to achieve its goal:stables internal order, expands external influence. By means of the combination of early countries, the bronze ware in Central Plains promoted, and stood out from the same period.