RESEARCH OF CHINESE NORTHERN BRONZES

我们在东京和关西地区以及冈山市的博物馆和私人收藏品中调查了许多中国北方青铜器。这些研究成果发表在1997年在横滨马匹博物馆和东京国立博物馆举办的《亚洲草原的骑着的游牧民族--中国北方青铜器》展览的目录中。我们用X射线荧光光谱分析了东京国家博物馆主要拥有的约180件青铜器的成分。如此多的中国北方青铜器的成分分析数据以前从未公布过。铅同位素比率测量也对180块中的50多块进行了测量，得出了重要的结果。每组青铜器的类型分别为商代、西周时期、夏家店上文化、河北东周时期、西汉时期和东汉时期，每组青铜器都给出了不同的梯度测量，验证了这些类型学考虑的有效性。结果还表明，各组铅的来源不同。大多数梯度测量结果与各个时期的中国中心青铜器相吻合，这似乎表明中国的北方边疆也使用了中国铅。然而，商代北方青铜器的铅与已知的任何系列都有不同的梯度测量。这一结果对东亚早期青铜文化的研究非常重要。中国北方青铜根据时代和地区被分为许多类别，这次只有几个类别被包括在铅同位素测量方面。我们希望继续研究更多的中国北方青铜器，以了解每一类青铜的具体倾向，并最终阐明欧亚草原和东亚青铜文化的起源和传播问题。

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.