The most significant items of China’s Bronze Age, from about 2000-221 BC, are the amazing bronze vessels. These vessels, with their astounding decorations, played a major role in ritual practices. For the ancient Chinese people, such containers were endowed with the great power to connect the living with their gods and their ancestral spirits, to whom the people showed great respect. Therefore, the elite of the dynasty who owned these mysterious vessels obtained high status in the political system. The ancient Chinese were fascinated by this kind of golden metal, and produced large numbers of bronzes during the period. Indeed, archaeologists excavating an elite burial of the Late Shang Dynasty (14th century-11th century BC) called the Tomb of Fu Hao, belonging to a queen and military leader, recovered bronze artefacts with a combined total weight of more than 1,600kg. Such an astounding number drives people to ask the question: where did they get the copper to build the glorious Bronze Age?
Based on current archaeological evidence, most of the mining and smelting sites during the Bronze Age were found in the Yangtze River basin, which includes the most important natural copper deposits in China. Of these, Tongling city, located at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, is the most important site. It has been famous for copper production since ancient times, and its reputation remains intact to this day.
In the ore district of Tongling city, quantities of ancient copper slag extend across the area. As a result, many assume this was one of the major copper resources for the ruling dynasty during the Bronze Age. Because all the ruling dynasties that created Chinese bronze culture are located to the north of the Yangtze River, this assumption suggests large-scale copper circulation from Tongling city to the central dynasty. But is this assumption correct? To answer the question, the School of Archaeology and Museology in Peking University decided to collaborate with the Archaeology Institute of Anhui province to excavate a smelting site in Tongling city.
