China and the steppe: technological study of precious metalwork from Xigoupan Tomb 2 (4th–3rd c. BCE) in the Ordos region, Inner Mongolia

Heritage Science

Guoxing Zhao¹  Rui Li¹  Junchang Yang²  Yan Liu²  Ruiliang Liu³  Panpan Tan⁴ 

[1] Ordos Museum, 017000, Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China;Research Center of Material Science and Archaeology, Institute of Culture and Heritage, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 710072, Xi’an, China;Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, OX1 3TG, Oxford, UK;State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Center for Nano Energy Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 710072, Xi’an, China;

关键词: Double-sided carving;    Gold and silver;    Xigoupan Tomb;    Steppe;    Early China;    Animal style;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40494-021-00520-5

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Technology employed by the ancient goldsmiths is traceable through archaeometallurgy. Using non-destructive analytical methods, namely, a 3D digital microscopy and a scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM–EDS), we investigated the manufacturing techniques and chemical composition of gold and silver artefacts recovered from Tomb 2 (M2), the richest find from Xigoupan cemetery (fourth-third century BCE) in the northern part of Jungar Banner, Inner Mongolia. The present research contributes to a better understanding of the inventive nature of precious metal working industry in early China (eighth-third century BCE). First, cultural interchange was evidenced in the metalwork examined, notably as being closely linked to techniques emerging from the Eurasian steppes. In Xigoupan M2, the ornamentation of sheet works in the Scytho-Siberian animal style was seen to be clearly influenced by the central Asian steppe goldsmithing practice, while certain cast items were typical of the Chinese tradition. Second, our analysis reveals that the gold appliqués with raised animal figures that were previously thought to be repoussé work have actually been made with double-sided carving. We consider such a new technology as one of local inventions that was inspired by methods arriving from the central Asian steppes. In addition, our analysis of elemental composition reveals that the gold artefacts found in Xigoupan M2 to be made of natural gold, while the horse harness ornament is made of pure silver. These results, combined with the study of the existing data pertaining to comparable examples, attest to the shared craftsmanship in prestige metal production across the northern Chinese states, especially with regard to the pre-imperial period Qin workshop.

【 授权许可】

CC BY