Metallurgy is the technology applied in producing metal components or extracting metals from their ores and modifying them for use. Though some metals occur naturally without the need for smelting or processing, the supply of metals has increased since the inception and innovation of the metallurgic process. The process played and continues to play a significant role in most post-Neolithic societies. Through metallurgy, a number of metals and alloys have been identified before and after c. AD 1500 includes metals such as copper, gold, iron, mercury, silver, and lead, while major alloys include bronze, steel, pewter, and brass. This essay will examine the Chinese civilization in interactions with foreign cultures and the development of metallurgy beyond the Chinese borders.
Bronzes from ancient civilizations shed light on cultures that existed 4000 years ago. The evolution of metallurgical processing techniques over thousands of years is highly admired. Materials and metallurgical processes can be examined to learn more about the structure of the materials and the technology utilized to make the things. Structure and chemistry investigations are useful for documentation as well as preservation and restoration, allowing for clearer estimates of dates, site of origin, and possible use. The Advanced Materials Laboratory of California State University Northridge studied several objects in the Tseng collection (College of Engineering). Because most of the samples were too large to fit into a scanning electron microscope’s chamber, the examination was done on surface deposits removed with carbon tape. A bronze jug with jade dragon handles and a copper/gold top, a bronze Guang with animal traits, and a bronze ding were among the Chinese artifacts (Shelach-Lavi 2015). Micrographs were taken, spectrum studies were performed, and elemental compositions were computed for each sample. The amounts of copper (90 percent – 50 percent), tin (10 percent – 50 percent), lead, silver, and iron utilized in ancient bronzes varied greatly. Many of the items have thin walls and unusual surface decorations. On a cultural and scientific level, the Tseng collection allows for metallurgical analysis and collaboration with archaeologists and conservators from other institutions, providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to investigate ancient China’s art, material culture, and spiritual life.
Kan Chiang and Mo Yeh are known for their sword-casting skills, but they also refer to two unique swords. We keep finding these two terms used to identify both in such a huge literature as China’s swords and the smiths. As a result, two groupings of texts have since existed – the one with the names Kan Chiang and Mo Yeh, which have been repeated dozens of times to highlight the high-quality smiths in the Chinese ancient, and the one with the names Kan Chiang and Mo Yeh, which have been repeated dozens of are used as a literary reference to denote high-quality swords. From a later date, the other tells the tale of the two swords (Shelach-Lavi 2015). This highlights the significant expertise and skills the Chinese people own when metallurgy.
Kan Chiang, a metal pioneer from the Wu province of China, lived during the reign of Ho Liu. Literature suggests that sacrifice was required in metal extraction, and Kan acknowledged such dedication for the process to take place. In one of his expeditions, Kan was accompanied by a sacrificed female metal founder since the human sacrifice was most preferred for melting metal. Kan’s teacher had already made a comparable sacrifice throughout his career in this reference. However, that would later change with symbolic sacrifice in the form of nails and hair, preferably for women alone or both being made (Higham 2021). For an effective process, it was important to have essential to have 300 lads and maidens present.
There was a significant development in metallurgy among foreign cultures outside ancient China. For instance, southern Asia, Africa, and South American countries have led a significant development in metallurgy in ancient times. However, in the early 18th century, Chinese civilization was significant in the interactions with other foreign cultures through trade and migration led to the development of metallurgy. During this period, iron casting becomes a more common culture in Southeast Asia and parts of Europe. Trade was the most significant contribution to sharing ideas as China would share their cultures with other foreign cultures in efforts. This improved metallurgy across the cultures as items and products were replicated and reproduced (Pryce 2014). Therefore, it is essential to note that iron casting was practiced across Southeast Asia in the early eighteenth century as part of the interactions of Chinese civilization with other foreign cultures.
Furthermore, bronze was present by 1500 BC and before 2000 BC as the technology engaged bearded little resemblance to neighboring technologies in central India and north China. This highlighted the significant interaction between Chinese Ancient civilization and foreign cultures during that period. The neighboring cultures engaged in a resemblance technology for producing bronze as that of China as the metal dominated the Southeast Asia countries, including Vietnam, among other dominant cultures in this region. Bronze dominated in prior use of copper and copper-arsenic in the West. Mattocks, shaft hole axes, and hammers were identical to those found and used during Roman times. These products were made using iron, and others using bronze or copper since these were the available materials in those times (Radivojevic 2012). Technological advancement might have occurred in casting across different cultures in Europe and Asia parts during the colonial period as more interactions continued.
The use of metal across Europe from Asian parts of China, regarded as the source of metallurgical expertise, was through the acquisition of metal objects as ‘exotica.’ Additionally, people possessing metallurgical expertise moved from one region to another, sharing the technologies across different cultures. Metallurgy in the early days reflects the process of incorporation and innovation by communities and cultures involved instead of inevitable or straightforward adoption. Therefore, the use of metallurgical objects in European parts shows how the interaction with the Chinese civilization in the early days of the metallurgical process led to innovative ways of carrying out the process for fine and advanced products. This means that the interactions were effective as ideas and expertise in metallurgy were shared between the Chinese and foreign cultures from Europe and other parts of Asia (Shelach-Lavi 2015). The impact of the interactions can be felt in other parts of the world, including America and Africa.
Apart from China, there were other significant cores of copper across Eurasia, including eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and south-western Syria. These cores also spread as far as central Pakistan by 6000 BC. With more interactions between Chinese culture and other foreign cultures, more copper melting sites occurred across Europe in the late sixth and early fifth BC in areas such as Tal-i Iblis in south-eastern Iran and Belovode in eastern Serbia. These sites were important to the development of metallurgy in Europe and parts of Asia (Plaza, and Marcos 2015). The melting of copper remained a unique venture for humankind as an alternative to bones, stones, and woods for use in daily activities.
In conclusion, the interaction of Chinese civilization with foreign cultures has led to the growth of the metallurgy industry worldwide. The ancient Chinese led to many inventions, with most making their way into other parts of the world, and metallurgy is not exceptional in this development. Trade was the significant primary way through which China interacted with foreign cultures. Silk Road is the most significant trade through which China has interacted with foreign cultures, influencing some of its ancient time’s innovations and inventions to the rest of the world, including metallurgy. Therefore, ancient Chinese civilization is significant in the development of metallurgy worldwide, considering the idea of melting metals was invented in China and shared with the rest of the world through trade.
Bibliography
Higham, Charles FW. “The later prehistory of Southeast Asia and southern China: the impact of exchange, farming and metallurgy.” Asian Archaeology 4, no. 2 (2021): 63-93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41826-021-00040-y
Plaza, María Teresa, and Marcos Martinón-Torres. “Metallurgical traditions under Inka rule: a technological study of metals and technical ceramics from the Aconcagua Valley, Central Chile.” Journal of Archaeological Science 54 (2015): 86-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2014.11.029
Pryce, Thomas Oliver. “Metallurgy in Southeast Asia.” Encyclopaedia of the history of science, technology, and medicine in non-Western cultures (2014): 1-17. https://DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-3934-5_10178-1
Radivojevic, Miljana. “On the origins of metallurgy in Europe: metal production in the Vinca Culture.” PhD diss., UCL (University College London), 2012.
Shelach-Lavi, Gideon. The Archaeology of Early China. Cambridge University Press, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139022682
write