https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-026-07353-w
Regular Article
Centralized control and local response: archaeometallurgical evidence from the Nanping cemetery in Changde, Hunan during the Western Han Dynasty
1
School of History, Anhui University, 230039, Hefei, China
2
Yuelu Academy, Hunan University, 410082, Changsha, China
3
School of Art and Archaeology, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, China
a
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Received:
9
September
2025
Accepted:
21
January
2026
Published online:
21
March
2026
Abstract
This paper focuses on nine bronze wares from the Western Han dynasty (202 BC–AD 8), excavated from the Nanping tomb and Fangjilu tomb in Changde, Hunan. Metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry analysis (SEM–EDS), and multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) were employed to conduct metallographic features, alloy composition, and lead isotope to investigate the production techniques and the origins of the metal resources. The research results show that all bronzes are castings of lead–tin alloy with low tin and high lead content. The raw metal materials may have come from multiple mining areas, including the Nanling region, Xiaoqinling-Yuxi (Western Henan), and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Within the unified imperial system, although the administrative jurisdiction of Wuling Commandery, where Changde is located, underwent transitions between kingdom and directly administered Commandery, its metal resources remained under centralized state control. However, at the local level, different regions may have retained their own preferences in resource selection.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-026-07353-w.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
