A research team led by Professor Jin Song'an from Zhengzhou University's (ZZU) School of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage has identified two bronze artifacts dating back approximately 4,500 years at the Gouwan site in Xichuan, Henan province. The findings offer new insights into the origins and spread of metallurgy in ancient China.
Discovered in a late Qujialing culture stratum, the artifacts include a bronze arrowhead and a rod-shaped item. Through metallographic examination, micro-area composition analysis, and lead isotope testing, researchers confirmed that both objects were cast using a copper-tin-lead alloy. The arrowhead, 3.66 cm long, resembles stone arrowheads of the same period, while the cylindrical rod fragment measures 6.45 cm. Visible mold marks and casting pores point to early, relatively primitive metalworking techniques.
The Gouwan site, excavated by ZZU archaeologists between 2007 and 2009, is recognized as the first prehistoric settlement with surrounding moats discovered in the middle reaches of the Han River, illustrating a dynamic process of north-south cultural interaction.
These bronze items push back the timeline of metallurgy in the middle Yangtze River region to the late Qujialing culture — around 4,500 years ago. Their presence suggests that the Yangtze River valley may have developed bronze technology contemporaneously with northern China, reshaping academic understanding of the plural origins of Chinese metallurgy.
The study, published in the international journal Archaeological Research in Asia, was co-authored by Associate Professor Cui Tianxing, Professor Jin Song'an, and researchers from several provincial archaeological institutes. Further work will include tracing ore sources and reconstructing technological diffusion routes in the region.