Scientific Analysis Reveals the Archaeological Connotation of the Earliest Bronze Round-sculpted Horses in China: a Comprehensive Technical Investigation

Abstract The two bronze horses unearthed from the tomb during the late Shang period on the Loess Plateau represent the earliest known examples of independent round-sculpted horse artworks in China, but their archaeological connotation has not yet been effectively recognized. Based on the preliminary observation of surface craft traces, we conducted a comprehensive technical investigation on the bronze horses, including the technology of casting, alloying, production of clay casting cores as well as the potential casting place, utilizing optical microscopes (OM), a scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and a synchronous thermal analyzer. The comparative study with related materials indicates that the two bronze horses are a pair of drinking vessels imitating the animal shape, with a style that combines local and Central Plains elements. They were cast in the Loess Plateau, while it is likely that the metal raw materials and production technology were either directly or indirectly imported from the Central Plains. In this study, we conducted technical characterization of the clay casting materials utilized in Lijiaya culture’s bronze artifacts for the first time, which is of enlightening significance for comprehensively revealing the picture of the bronze handicraft industry in the Loess Plateau during the late Shang period.