Paleopollution and Environmental Consequences of Bronze Craft Production during the Shang Periods in Anyang, China

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The aim of this study is to understand the relationship between bronze production and paleopollution during the middle and late Shang periods (1450-1045 BCE) in Anyang. Archaeologists have discovered several bronze workshops operating during these periods. These workshops were located among residential areas, and the long-term bronze production activity at Anyang could have generated hazardous elements that polluted the environment. Since 2016, paleosols have been collected from a wide variety of archaeological contexts and time periods during excavations in Anyang. We apply trace metal analysis and particle size analysis to study the chemical composition and structure of these paleosols. The information recorded in paleosols indicates paleopollution related to bronze production and other human activities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Geoarchaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25702