Iron smelting techniques in Eastern Sichuan Province, China ——scientific analysis of smelting remains excavated from the Chengba site

The Chengba site is the only city site from the Han Dynasty (202 BCE–CE 220) discovered in eastern Sichuan Province. Being the administrative centre of “Dangqu County” during the Han Dynasty, the site has been found to contain urban features, cemetery areas and smelting areas amongst other specialized districts. In this paper, we investigate the large quantities of smelting-related remains recently unearthed from Chengba via archaeological investigation and scientific analysis. Our results suggest that bloomery smelting technology was used at Chengba during the Han Dynasty, and that the site was under the jurisdiction of the “Dangqu Tieguan” (government-controlled offices responsible for iron smelting and production activities, called Tieguan) recorded in historical documents. The bloomery smelting technology used in Chengba notably differ from the pig-iron smelting common on the Central Plains and the Chengdu Plain during the Han Dynasty, which was likely a result of eastern Sichuan’s combined social needs, local traditions, and economic condition. The Han Dynasty smelting remains and ironware objects recovered from Chengba certainly provide new materials and perspectives for the studies of the smelting technologies and the social developments in eastern Sichuan during the Han Dynasty.