先秦时期锻造工艺的发展和对金属锡料的利用，是中国古代金属技术史研究的两个重大学术问题，因实物资料缺乏至今尚未得到系统研究。近年来，湖北、河南、山西、甘肃等地的先秦遗址中出土了许多金属薄片器物，如表面装饰有金箔或锡箔的甲片等，显示出极为高超的锻造工艺和对锡金属的特殊利用方式，亟待开展相关研究以揭示其技术特征和文化内涵。本项目拟采用多种科学手段，对考古出土的先秦金属甲片（尤其是锡箔制品）等锻造器物开展深入的科学分析，并结合模拟实验、传统工艺考察等方面的研究，揭示其工艺技术特征；对于锡金属制品，则重点揭示其冶金材料学方面的科学信息，通过系统的检测分析和比较研究，探讨先秦锡金属获取和利用中可能存在的区域特征。本项目的顺利实施，将全面揭示先秦时期锻造工艺和锡料利用的演进历程，为深入理解中国古代金属技术的多样性、区域性特征拓展新的方向，并提供重要的科学依据。

The development of forging technology and the utilization of tin metal are two important issues for the study of ancient metal technology in China, which have so far not received systematic research because of the lack of archaeological evidence. Recently, a large number of metal sheets such as pieces of tin armour were unearthed from many pre-Qin period archaeological sites in Hubei, Henan, Shanxi and Gansu Provinces. These metal sheets are often decorated with tin or gold foils, demonstrating unusually high skills in forging and shaping, as well as exceptional use of tin metal. It shows that while piece-mould casting technology still predominated in bronze manufacturing, significant progress was also made in forging technology and its utilization of tin metal, requiring systematic investigation to reveal its scientific significance and cultural value. The proposed project aims to carry out a full archaeo-metallurgical investigation into the metal sheets, foils and tin metal objects. Technological characteristics of forging processes are expected to be revealed using multiple scientific approaches in combination with the studies of traditional crafts and simulation experiments. For the tin objects, research will be focussed on their metallurgical and material characteristics, in order to explore the potential regional features by systemic analyses and comparative studies. The results of proposed project are expected to reveal fresh scientific evidence for the development of forging technology and the utilization of tin metal in the pre-Qin period, consequently broadening the scope of research and furthering our understanding of the diversity and regional characteristics of metal technology in ancient China.