The beginning use of iron in ancient China and the Early Silk Road

Summary

This paper analyses iron objects and iron making remains from the eastern Silk Road area, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia and Shaanxi provinces, and found that there are several characteristics about the development of iron technology: 1. iron production not only related to geographical distribution of ore resources, but also to state pattern. 2. Iron played a vital role in everyday life. 3. The development and transmission of iron metallurgy had some relation to the evolution of bronze metallurgy; 4. The origin of iron using and making in ancient China was the results of the interaction between China and central Asia areas via the early Silk Road. It suggests to further carry out field survey of iron manufacturing sites in more different areas and to construct a whole sequence of installations and techniques.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Cultural Contacts along the Silk Road during the Early Bronze Age

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15767