The Exploration of Hypogene Copper Ore and the Rise of Shang Bronze Industry

This is a hybrid event hosted by the International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology (ICCHA), 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. This seminar is free and open to all. All welcome! 

Abstract 

The shift from using oxidic (e.g. malachite) to sulphidic (e.g. chalcopyrite) ores has been often taken as a pivotal moment of the Bronze Age cultures as it allowed metal workers to depend on more abundant yet more challenging to smelt hypogene ores. In the traditional narrative of the Chinese Bronze Age, this turning point was positioned towards the end of the Spring & Autumn period based on analyses of copper production slags. A recent multi-proxy investigation on the Shang bronzes and copper production remains strikingly revealed that hypogene copper ore had already been extensively employed in the Early Bronze Age. Contrary to the prevailing view, detailed technological analyses suggest that the adoption of hypogene copper ores did not represent a technological breakthrough in Shang bronze metallurgy. Instead, it appears to have been a practice inherited from even earlier times. Paradoxically, technical advancements in the subsequent post-Shang period led to an extensive exploration and utilization of supergene oxidic ores on a massive scale. This research challenges the conventional belief that the success of Shang metallurgy was rooted in the enhancement of technological efficiencies. We argue that the Shang bronze industry was characterized by a labour-intensive yet less efficient production process.

About the Speaker

Professor Siran Liu serves as a faculty member in the field of archaeomaterial studies at the Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science & Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing. He earned his PhD from the UCL Institute of Archaeology. Professor Liu's research primarily focuses on the application of advanced scientific techniques and data-driven methodologies for the analysis of archaeological materials. He aims to shed light on the technological practices and origin of these materials, thereby reconstructing the intricate social and economic networks of pre-modern societies. He is currently a YIP Visiting Fellow at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, investigating China's role in the global silver trade of the 17th century through morphological, chemical and isotopic analyses of Ming Dynasty silver bullions. 

Future seminar - save the date

• Wednesday 20 March 2024: Prof Michael Rowlands (UCL) & Prof Harriet Evans (University of Westminster) on "Grassroots Values - Localising Cultural Heritage in China"