The excavation of a cache of lead ingots in Liujiazhuang Locus North of Yinxu, Anyang, Henan

Abstract

In August 2015, an earthen cache pit of lead ingots was discovered to the northwest of Liujiazhuang Village within the Yinxu site. The round pit yielded an assemblage of 293 lead ingots weighed 3404kg. The ingots are shaped like turtle shells with broader fronts and narrower rears. Their full length measured from 10cm to 70cm. Lead was an important element in the bronze metallurgy of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The excavation of the cache of lead ingots is significant to the studies of the scale, technology, organization, and management of the bronze-casting industry of the Shang dynasty.