On the source “composition” of the bronze vessels in the burials of the Yinxu site

Abstract

Abstract The previous studies on the bronzes were usually focused on their “assemblages”; through analyses to several typical burials in the Yinxu site, this paper presents the concept of “source composition” of bronzes, which emphasizes the source and disposition of bronzes, and pays more attention to the social backgrounds of the bronzes than “assemblages” do. This paper analyzes M303 at Dasikong, M1713 at West Zone, Fu Hao’s tomb and M1046 at Liujiazhuang Locus North of the Yinxu site, and then reveals that the compositions of the bronzes found from them may have two types, namely the single-sourced and multiple-sourced. Moreover, the multiple-sourced compositions also had various forms, which may be caused by the social backgrounds of the burials and the social relations of the burial occupants.