Stay with the green: New insights into ancient copper smelting in the Tonglüshan site, China

IF 1.5 2区历史学 0 ARCHAEOLOGY

Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports Pub Date : 2024-10-01 DOI:10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104790

Fan Yang , Shuxiang Chen , Siran Liu , Kunlong Chen

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Abstract

This paper presents new archaeometallurgical analyses from the Tonglüshan site, a famous ancient mining and smelting site in China. Results show that the primary phases in slag samples from two sites (Sifangtang and Lujia’nao) are all of a vitreous matrix, interspersed with fayalite crystals, wüstite, and hercynite. The trapped metallic particles in the slag are mainly raw copper with few sulfides present, which indicates a direct reduction process of oxidic ore. Iron-rich minerals were likely to be added as flux implied by the few unreacted inclusions in the slag samples. The extremely low copper content in the slag samples demonstrates a high rate of copper recovery, indicating that the copper smelting technology in the region had reached a considerably advanced level. In the meantime, the variations in metal content in slag samples from different periods reveal the diachronic changes in this copper smelting technology. The Tonglüshan site, with its millennia of ancient mining and metallurgical activities, provides an excellent material base for detailed studies on technological evolution.

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与绿色相伴中国铜绿山遗址古代铜冶炼的新发现

本文介绍了对中国著名的古代采矿和冶炼遗址--铜绿山遗址进行的新的考古冶金分析。结果表明，来自两个遗址（四方塘和陆家岙）的炉渣样品中的原生相均为玻璃体基质，夹杂着辉绿岩晶体、绿泥石和蛭石。矿渣中被截留的金属颗粒主要是原铜，硫化物很少，这表明氧化矿石的直接还原过程。从矿渣样本中少量未反应的夹杂物来看，富铁矿物很可能是作为助熔剂加入的。矿渣样本中的铜含量极低，这表明铜的回收率很高，说明该地区的铜冶炼技术已达到相当先进的水平。同时，不同时期铜渣样品中金属含量的变化也揭示了铜冶炼技术的非同步变化。铜绿山遗址数千年的古代采矿和冶金活动，为详细研究技术演变提供了极好的物质基础。

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来源期刊

Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports ARCHAEOLOGY-

CiteScore

3.10

自引率

12.50%

发文量

405

期刊介绍： Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports is aimed at archaeologists and scientists engaged with the application of scientific techniques and methodologies to all areas of archaeology. The journal focuses on the results of the application of scientific methods to archaeological problems and debates. It will provide a forum for reviews and scientific debate of issues in scientific archaeology and their impact in the wider subject. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports will publish papers of excellent archaeological science, with regional or wider interest. This will include case studies, reviews and short papers where an established scientific technique sheds light on archaeological questions and debates.