A feast: Indigenous production and interregional exchange reflected by the bronze vessels unearthed from Shuangyuan Village Cemetery in southwestern China

Abstract

Surprising combinations of bronze vessels with multiple cultural elements have been unearthed in Shu tombs in southwestern China, indicating a significant connection with the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. However, there is currently no comprehensive evidence for the provenance of these foreign style vessels, and little emphasis has been given to the diachronic changes in the interaction between Shu culture and its surroundings. This article investigates the bronze vessels unearthed from the Shuangyuan Village Cemetery in Chengdu during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and aims to deeply reveal the production and exchange of bronze vessels unearthed from Shuangyuan Village Cemetery from the perspective of lead sources through typological analysis and scientific analysis. The study clarified the ages of the local style Shu culture vessels and foreign style vessels, and the latter exhibited a strong influence of the Chu and Yue cultures. Lead isotope analysis shows that the lead source characteristics of foreign style vessels are consistent with those of vessels from Chu-Yue culture at the same time, and they may be imported from Chu directly. The specific interaction modes of Shu and Chu underwent a clear transformation during the middle Warring States period.