Formation of iron market system in the capital area of the Qin and Han dynasties

Summary

Market system plays a key role in the formation of the imperial economy of Chinese early Empire. Previous scholarship usually paid attention to prestige goods in this regard, giving a good albeit partial description about the market system in Early China. Putting in the anthropological discourse of market exchange, this presentation explores the production and distribution of iron objects—one major type of daily-use items—in the Guanzhong basin according to burial data to better understand the formation processes of iron economy and its contribution to the state finance. This presentation argues that, during the Qin period, the iron market system was still less developed and circulated iron objects nearby the capital area, whereas a more systematic market system developed only during the Han period, which led to the distribution of iron to more far-flung areas. Alongside the development of cast iron industry, the distribution of iron objects during the Han period presents a more ubiquitous pattern in burial contexts, indicating a full-fledged market system finally took shape during this critical period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage