Early Metallurgy of Eastern Xinjiang

This paper examines the form and chemical composition of metal artifacts of three successive cultures of the Hami region. The metal artifacts of the Tianshanbeilu culture are rather diverse in both type and material; body ornaments are dominant, whereas tools and weapons are quantitatively modest. The typological composition and the predominance of body ornaments made of tin bronze, pure copper, and arsenic copper are reminiscent of the Karasuk culture in the Minusinsk Basin and the Siba culture in the Hexi Corridor. Apart from the bulk metal types, there are gold, lead, and antimonial copper. The metal artifacts of the succeeding culture of Yanbulake are morphologically derived from Tianshanbeilu. In the subsequent Heigouliang culture, apart from old types of metal artifacts inherited from the Yanbulake culture, there are a number of new types of artifacts that are morphologically derived from nomadic cultures in the Eurasian steppe. In the cultures of Yanbulake and Heigouliang, the use of tin bronze, arsenic copper, and pure copper prevailed. The source of minerals, especially tin, which is used throughout the three successive cultures, awaits further investigation. Keywords: Xinjiang, Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, metallurgy, Eurasia