‘Auspicious Gold’ and ‘Precious Stones’: Rethinking Weapons in late Shang China (c.1250-1050 BCE)

This is a hybrid event which will take place in Room 612, 6th floor of the UCL Institute of Archaeology, and also online via Zoom. Registration for the Zoom event is via the booking link above.

Abstract

The Shang is a major period, foundational to the forming of Chinese civilization and renowned for its magnificent bronze vessels. However, the even larger quantities of weapons in bronze and other materials have attracted less scholarly attention.

Based on her DPhil thesis at Oxford and the British Museum, Qin Cao’s new book on Shang weapons provides the first critical overview of these arms, moving beyond perceptions of them being merely symbols of power and rank.

In this talk, Qin will discuss the application of archaeological theories to late Shang weapons, in combination with quantitative and qualitative methods, including statistics, and metalwork wear analysis.

About the Speaker

Qin Cao was Senior Curator of the Chinese collections at National Museums Scotland after completing her PhD at Oxford University. She recently joined the Oriental Museum, Durham University as their first Chinese curator. She specializes in Chinese Bronze Age archaeology and numismatics, and has curated permanent displays and temporary exhibitions. This talk is also a taste of her newly published monograph Weapons in Late Shang (c.1250-1050 BCE) China: Beyond Typology and Ritual (Routledge, September 2022).

This seminar is free and open to all. All welcome!