DOI number:10.1038/s41598-021-82806-z

Affiliation of Author(s):Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science and Technology, University of Science and Tec

Journal:Scientific Reports

Key Words:CHINA；FOURIER transform infrared spectroscopy；BRONZE castings；MOLDS (Casts & casting)；METALLURGY

Abstract:Intricate ceramic bronze-casting moulds are among the most significant archaeological remains found at Bronze Age metallurgical workshops in China. Firing temperature was presumably one of the most important technical factors in mould making. However, it has proven difficult to determine the firing temperatures of excavated moulds using existing analytical methods. This study establishes an innovative new method for using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to estimate the firing temperature of clay-containing remains. The method is based on the finding that the infrared absorptivity of fired clay minerals, measured at the Si–O–Si stretching resonance band, is negatively correlated with firing temperature. Moulds and mould cores dating to the Early Shang period (sixteenth to fourteenth century BCE) are found to have been fired at extremely low temperatures—as low as 200–300°C in many instances. These results provide critical new data for understanding the metallurgical technology of ancient China.

First Author:Bichen Yan

Indexed by:Journal paper

Correspondence Author:Siran Liu

Discipline:Natural Science

Document Type:J

Issue:11

Translation or Not:no

Date of Publication:2021-02-08