The Monetary Value of Bronze Mirrors in the Han Dynasty

Abstract

This essay investigates the monetary value of bronze mirrors during the Han dynasty. It reevaluates the rhetorical and realistic prices of mirrors reckoned in catties of gold or in coins by engaging the scattered inscriptional evidence, estimated cost of raw materials, and existing studies of the price history of the Han. To achieve this goal, an interdisciplinary strategy is employed, including a close textual reading of recently uncovered inscriptions, a quantitative analysis of weights and diameters of mirrors, and a comparative examination of financial values embedded in various types of objects. As the first empirical study of Han mirrors as commodities, this essay critiques the conventional use of art history criteria for assessing the value of mirrors and unveils a previously suppressed economic feature of these specular discs. It argues that bronze mirrors served as a form of affordable luxury in Han society.