Skip to main content
BAR Publishing
  • Help
  • About
  • Publish with BAR
  • Newsletter
Get access to more books. Log in with your institution.

Your use of this Platform is subject to BAR’s End User License Agreement. Please read it carefully. Materials on the Platform are for the use of authorised users only. Giving access in any form to non-authorised users is prohibited.

Share the story of what Open Access means to you

a graphic of a lock that is open, the universal logo for open access

University of Michigan needs your feedback to better understand how readers are using openly available ebooks. You can help by taking a short, privacy-friendly survey.

  1. Home
  2. Bronze Weapons of the Qin Terracotta Warriors: Standardisation, craft specialisation and labour organisation

Bronze Weapons of the Qin Terracotta Warriors: Standardisation, craft specialisation and labour organisation

Xiuzhen Li
Restricted You don't have access to this book. Please try to log in with your institution. Log in
Read Book Buy Book

  • Overview

  • Contents

Over 40,000 lethal bronze weapons were discovered with thousands of terracotta warriors in the tomb complex of the Qin First Emperor (259-210 BC). This book carries out the first systematic and comprehensive study on these weapons to investigate the mass production and labour organisation in early imperial China. The research draws upon extensive measurements, typological analysis and related statistical treatment, as well as a study of the spatial distribution of the bronze weapons. A combination of metrical and spatial data is used to assess the degree of standardisation of the weapons’ production, and to evaluate the spatial patterns in the array of the Terracotta Army. This provides further information about the labour organisation behind the production, transportation and placement of weapons as they were moved from the workshop and/or arsenal to the funeral pits. Integrating these insights with inscriptions, tool marks, and chemical analysis, this book fills a gap in the study of mass production, the behaviour of craftspeople, and related imperial logistical organisation in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), marking the most crucial early stage in Chinese political unification.
  • Cover
  • Title page
  • Copyright page
  • Subseries page
  • Of Related Interest
  • Dedication
  • Acknowledgements
  • Table of Contents
  • List of figures
  • List of tables
  • Abstract
  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1. Introduction
    • 1.2 Research review and defining research questions
    • 1.2.1 Previous research on the bronze weapons
    • 1.2.2 Defining research questions
    • 1.3 The Emperor and his tomb complex – defining the temporal and spatial context
    • 1.3.1 The Qin Dynasty and Emperor Qin Shihuang
    • 1.3.2 The tomb complex, the terracotta warriors and the bronze weapons
    • 1.4 Chapter summaries
  • 2. Approaches to Standardisation and Labour Organisation
    • 2.1 Introduction
    • 2.2 Standardisation
    • 2.2.1 A definition of standardisation
    • 2.2.2 Parameters affecting standardisation
    • 2.2.3 How to define and measure standardisation from archaeological data?
    • 2.3 Standardisation and technological organisation
    • 2.3.1 Casting and assembling
    • 2.3.2 Technological models
    • 2.4 Standardisation and specialisation
    • 2.4.1 Specialisation
    • 2.4.2 The hypothesis of standardisation and specialisation
    • 2.5 Standardisation versus variation: copying error
    • 2.6 Spatial signatures of workshop activity and labour organisation
    • 2.6.1 Point pattern analysis
    • 2.6.2 Spatial randomness, regularity, and clustering
    • 2.6.3 First-order effect and second-order effect
    • 2.7 Summary
  • 3. Methodology
    • 3.1 Introduction
    • 3.2 Qualitative classification
    • 3.2.1 Functional classification of the weapons
    • 3.2.2 Micro-features
    • 3.2.3 Inscriptions
    • 3.3 Sampling
    • 3.3.1 Principles of sampling
    • 3.3.2 Sampling strategy for this project
    • 3.4 Dimensional measurements and quantitative analysis
    • 3.4.1 Measuring techniques
    • 3.4.2 Metric variables
    • 3.4.3 Accuracy and precision assessment
    • 3.4.4 Statistical analysis
    • 3.5 Establishing a GIS database and spatial analysis
    • 3.5.1 Original map
    • 3.5.2 Digital map
    • 3.5.3 Using a local grid
    • 3.5.4 Spatial statistics – pair correlation functions
    • 3.6 Integration with archaeometric data
    • 3.7 Summary
  • 4. Inscriptions on the Weapons
    • 4.1 Introduction
    • 4.2 Types of inscriptions
    • 4.2.1 Cast inscriptions
    • 4.2.2 Carved or chiselled inscriptions
    • 4.2.3 Ink inscriptions
    • 4.3 The content of the inscriptions and the types of weapons
    • 4.3.1 Inscriptions on dagger-axes, spears, and halberds
    • 4.3.2 Inscriptions on lances
    • 4.3.3 Inscriptions on swords
    • 4.3.4 Inscriptions on triggers
    • 4.3.5 Inscriptions on ferrules
    • 4.4 Spatial patterns of the inscribed weapons
    • 4.4.1 Spatial patterns of inscribed halberds
    • 4.4.2 Spatial patterns of inscribed lances
    • 4.4.3 Spatial patterns of inscribed triggers
    • 4.4.4 Spatial patterns of inscribed ferrules
    • 4.5 Function of the inscriptions
    • 4.5.1 Quality control
    • 4.5.2 Assembling triggers
    • 4.5.3 Other functions
    • 4.6 Summary
  • 5. Bronze Triggers
    • 5.1 Introduction
    • 5.2 Research review
    • 5.3 Measurements of the bronze triggers
    • 5.3.1 Sources of data
    • 5.3.2 Triggers’ function and manipulation
    • 5.3.3 Method of measuring
    • 5.3.4 Patterns in trigger measurements
    • 5.3.5 Analysing the patterns of the triggers
    • 5.4 Coefficients of variation and the degree of standardisation
    • 5.5 Trigger assembly and technological organisation
    • 5.6 Spatial analysis
    • 5.6.1 Parameters affecting the spatial patterns
    • 5.6.2 A pair correlation function
    • 5.6.3 Results obtained on assembled triggers
    • 5.6.4 Activity areas in the pit
    • 5.7 Summary
  • 6. Bronze Arrows
    • 6.1 Introduction
    • 6.2 Research review
    • 6.3 Arrow data
    • 6.3.1 The archaeological origin of the bronze arrows
    • 6.3.2 Bronze arrows from the five easternmost trenches of Pit 1
    • 6.3.3 A comparison between the arrows from Pit 1 and those from Pit 2 and other sites
    • 6.4 Measurements of the bronze arrows
    • 6.4.1 Sampling strategy
    • 6.4.2 Methodology of the measurements
    • 6.4.3 Patterns in the dimensions of the arrows
    • 6.4.4 Coefficient of variation values and degree of standardisation
    • 6.5 Arrow production, assembly and labour organisation
    • 6.5.1 Consistency and variability of arrow bundles
    • 6.5.2 Batch or cell production organisation
    • 6.6 Spatial data
    • 6.6.1 Parameters affecting the spatial patterns
    • 6.6.2 A pair correlation function
    • 6.7 Summary
  • 7. Bronze Ferrules and Long Weapons
    • 7.1 Introduction
    • 7.2 Research review
    • 7.2.1 Ferrules
    • 7.2.2 Bronze blades of long weapons
    • 7.3 Measurements of the bronze ferrules
    • 7.3.1 Sources of data
    • 7.3.2 Methodology for the measurements
    • 7.3.3 Measuring patterns in the ferrules
    • 7.3.4 Analysis of the patterns of each type of ferrules
    • 7.3.5 Coefficients of variation (CV) and degrees of standardisation
    • 7.4 The bronze long weapons
    • 7.4.1 Sources of data
    • 7.4.2 Measurements of the long weapons
    • 7.5 Spatial data
    • 7.5.1 Parameters affecting the spatial patterns
    • 7.5.2 Pair correlation functions on the ferrules
    • 7.6 Summary and discussion
  • 8. Discussion and Conclusions
    • 8.1 Standardisation
    • 8.1.1 Projectile Weapons
    • 8.1.2 Long Weapons
    • 8.1.3 Parameters affecting standardisation
    • 8.2 Organisation of production
    • 8.2.1 Model of production organisation
    • 8.2.2 Organisational structure and practices
    • 8.2.3 Craft specialisation and attached production
    • 8.3 Spatial statistics and activity areas
    • 8.3.1 Spatial patterns of triggers and activity areas
    • 8.3.2 Placement of arrows into the pit
    • 8.3.3 Ferrules and long weapons
    • 8.4 Directions for future research
    • 8.4.1 Research model for other research within the tomb complex
    • 8.4.2 Contemporary weapons at other sites
    • 8.4.3 Bronze versus iron weapons
  • Bibliography
  • Appendix 1. Spatial and metric data on triggers: Part A
  • Appendix 2. Spatial and metric data on triggers: Part B
  • Appendix 3. Spatial and metric data on triggers: Part C
  • Appendix 4. Spatial and metric data on triggers: Part D and E
  • Appendix 5. Correspondence between trigger part groups
  • Appendix 6. Inscriptions on triggers
  • Appendix 7. Count and metric data on arrow bundles
    • 7a
    • 7b
    • 7c
  • Appendix 8. Spatial and metric data on ferrules
Citable Link
Published: 2020
Publisher: BAR Publishing
ISBN(s)
  • 9781407316901 (paper)
  • 9781407356020 (ebook)
BAR Number: S2992
Subject
  • East Asia
  • Computing and Quantitative Methods
  • Craft working (general titles, bone, glass, textiles, etc.)
  • Metal Objects
  • Conflict / Military / Fortifications
  • Archaeometry / Scientific Dating
  • Bronze Age and Iron Age
  • Epigraphy / Ancient and Medieval Texts / Papyri
  • Metallurgy / Mining
BAR Publishing logo +44 (0)1865 310431 info@barpublishing.com www.barpublishing.com

FacebookTwitter

End User License Agreement

© BAR Digital Collection 2023

Powered by Fulcrum logo · Log In
x This site requires cookies to function correctly.