| The tomb of Liu He,Marquis of Haihun in the Western Han Dynasty,was a high-level noble cemetery.Iron weapons were found in the attached coffin next to the main tomb.It was of high specifications,typical features and clear age attributes,representing the highest level of iron and steel metallurgy technology in China at that time.Until the early 21 st century,the scientific research on iron weapons in the tombs of vassals in the Western Han Dynasty is still rare,and the related work on iron weapons in marquises’ tombs has not even been carried out.Therefore,through scientific analysis and research on iron weapons in Liu He’s tomb and revealing their production technology connotation,new scientific data and physical evidence can be provided for the research on iron and steel metallurgy technology in the Western Han Dynasty and even ancient China.After selecting 19 iron weapon samples from the tomb of Liu He Marquis of Haihun for laboratory research,metallographic microscope,ED-XRF,SEM-EDS and other scientific methods were used for analysis and detection.The results showed that they were all steel weapons made by forging.There were 14 puddling steel and multiple-refined steel products,accounting for 73.68%,and 5 carburized bloomery products,accounting for 26.32%.It reflects the development trend of the first century BC in China which the two kinds of steel metallurgy technology system and the leading role of cast iron.Iron weapons of the tomb are of high quality,and the diversity of production methods and materials proved the exquisite technology of weapon manufacturing at that time.At the same time,according to the information statistics of iron weapons buried in the tombs of vassals and marquises of the Western Han Dynasty in archaeological excavation reports/briefs and the sorting and summary of relevant documents,it can be seen that compared with the tombs of the royal tombs of the same period,the number and types of iron weapons unearthed in Liu He’s tomb are more concentrated,indicating that the cast iron technology was mainly used to make weapons to achieve mass and efficient production,which played an important role in the military field at that time and guaranteed the national security.In addition,the ancient Chinese cast iron technology reflected by the iron weapon in Liu He’s tomb confirms once again that it was not only advanced and developed in the Western Han Dynasty,but also led the development of countries as the world’s top technology.In conclusion,the scientific analysis and research on iron weapons unearthed from Liu He’s Tomb of the Marquis of Haihun is the first time to take iron weapons in the tomb of Marquis of the Western Han Dynasty as the research object.The scientific,systematic and targeted quantitative analysis is highly representative and persuasive,and can fill in the blank of related science and technology history research.It also proves that the ancient Chinese original cast iron metallurgy technology in the Western Han Dynasty had a great impact on the world metallurgical history and military history and its important significance in the process of human civilization. |
