RESEARCH OF CHINESE NORTHERN BRONZES

我们调查了东京和关西地区以及冈山市的博物馆和私人收藏的许多中国北方青铜器。这些研究结果发表在1997年横滨马博物馆和东京国立博物馆举办的“亚洲草原的游牧民族--中国北方青铜器”展览目录中。中国北方青铜器如此之多的成分分析资料，以前从未公开发表过。对180件中的50多件进行了铅同位素比测量，得到了重要的结果。商代、西周、夏家店上层文化、河北东周、西汉、东汉等青铜器群的梯度测量值各不相同，证明了这些类型学的考虑是正确的。结果还表明，各组铅的来源不同。大部分系列的梯度测量结果与中原地区各时期青铜器一致，这似乎表明中国的铅在中国的北方边疆也有使用。然而，商代北方青铜器的铅给出了与以往已知系列不同的梯度测量值。中国北方青铜器按年代和地区划分为许多类型，但本次仅对其中几种青铜器进行了铅同位素比值测定。我们希望继续研究更多的中国北方青铜器，以了解每个类别的具体倾向，并最终阐明有关欧亚草原和东亚青铜文化起源和传播的问题。

We investigated many Chinese Northern Bronzes in museums and private collections in Tokyo and Kansai districts as well as in Okayama City. The results of those researches were published in the catalog of the exhibition "Mounted Nomads of Asian Steppe--Chinese Northern Bronzes-" which was held at the Equine Museum in Yokohama and at Tokyo National Museum in 1997.We made compositional analysis by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry of about 180 bronzes mainly owned by Tokyo National Museum. Data of compositional analysis of so many Chinese Northern Bronzes have not been published before. Lead isotope ratio measurements, which were also conducted of more than 50 pieces out of the 180 pieces, gave significant results. Groups of bronzes, each dated typologically to the Shang period, the Western Zhou period, the Upper Xiajiadian Culture, the Eastern Zhou period of Hebei province, the Western Han period and the Eastern Han period, gave different gradient measurements each, verifying that those typological considerations are valid. Also the result showed that the lead of each group had different provenance. Most series of the gradient measurements agreed with bronzes of central China of each period, which seems to indicate that Chinese lead was employed also in China's Northern Frontier. The lead of the Shang period northern bronzes, however, gave different gradient measurements from any series known before. This result can be very important for the study of early bronze cultures of East Asia.Chinese Northern Bronzes are classified into many categories according to periods and areas, only several of which were covered this time in terms of lead isotope ratio measurements. We hope to continue examining many more Chinese Northern Bronzes in order to know specific inclinations to each category, and by so doing eventually elucidate the problems concerning the origin and the spread of bronze cultures in Eurasian Steppes and East Asia.