Bronzization and the formation of Sanxingdui Culture

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The emergence and transformation of the Sanxingdui culture are closely connected with the social and cultural changes of Bronze Age China. The concept of bronzization provides a dynamic framework to understand the formation and transformation process of the Sanxingdui culture. The introduction of bronze metallurgy to the Sichuan Plain around 1800 BCE did not immediately shaken up the techniques at Sanxingdui. The available archaeological date suggests that only by around 1200 BCE, large quantity of bronzes started to appear at Sanxingdui. Although the Sanxingdui metallurgy originated from the Central Plain, it was mostly used to produce objects related to religious activities. Sanxingdui bronzes so far are not found at burials, suggesting they were not used as mortuary objects. The Sanxingdui artisans did not focus on delicate details of the bronze casting. Instead their attentions are on shapes and sizes. Many large size sculptures are not seen in any other regions during the Bronze Age. Therefore, the bronzization process in the Chengdu Plain had a very strong localized characteristics, different from the Central Plain and other regions in Bronze Age China.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51380