Page 42 - Deydier Early Chinese Bronzes

One small object excavated from a Longshan cultural site 龍山文化遺址
in Shangdong province 山東省and dated to between 3000 and 2200
B.C. is composed of an alloy of copper and zinc.

• Majiayao Culture 馬家窯 (circa 3800 - 2050 B.C.), located in
present-day western Gansu 甘肅省西部, eastern Qinghai 清海省東部
and northern Sichuan 四川北部 provinces.
A small bronze knife excavated at Dongxiang Linjia in Gansu
province甘肅省東鄉林家 has been dated to 3000 B.C.

• Qijia Culture 齊家文化 (circa 2050 - 1700B.C.), located in present-day
Gansu province 甘肅省, eastern Qinghai 清海東部 and southern
Ningxia provinces 寧夏南部.

As the Qijia Culture 齊家文化 dates to what is known as the ‘Bronze
Age’, it is not surprising that numerous bronze tools, weapons
(hatchets and knives) and other small bronze objects have been found
at the sites dating to this period.

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• The Erlitou Culture 二里頭文化 (circa 19 to 17 /16 centuries B.C.),
located in the west of present-day Henan province 豫西 and the south
of present-day Shanxi province 山西省南部.
Fragments of bronze objects have been discovered by archaeologists
in Strata I of the Erlitou site, but no bronze vessels have been so far
discovered from areas of the site dated to before Period III of the
Erlitou culture.

Right page: Jue 爵 Count & Countess Paul Lippens collection, Brussels, Belgium

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