Pre-Qin bronze production tools

Author: Chen Zhenzhong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-04-01
Features: This book collects over 7,000 bronze production tools, more than 4,000 line drawings, and over 800 photographs, including 174 color photographs, covering almost all materials before 1991. It is the first comprehensive work on Chinese bronze production tools in both China and abroad. The book is divided into three parts: an overview of pre-Qin bronze production tools; statistical tables and an inventory of pre-Qin bronze production tools unearthed in various provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions; line drawings and photographs of the artifacts.
The "Overview" presents the author's classification of bronze production tools and insights into their usage in the production field during the pre-Qin period. The text is concise. The "Statistical Tables" and "Inventory Tables" are the core of the book, reflecting the author's meticulous effort.
The "Statistical Tables" are divided into two parts: archaeological finds and inherited artifacts. The archaeological finds are arranged by province and autonomous region, with items within the same region ordered by the chronological sequence of bronze artifacts unearthed and their geographical distribution. Inherited artifacts are arranged by the era of the artifacts. The time and location of each artifact's discovery, its era, and the source of the data are all reflected in the tables.
Before the provincial and regional statistical tables, there is a "National Statistical Table of Pre-Qin Bronze Production Tools," which lists the total number of each type of tool unearthed in each era, the total number of bronze tools unearthed in each era, the total number of each type of tool unearthed in the province (region), and the total number of bronze production tools unearthed in the province (region). The types, quantities, discovery times, and sources of bronze production tools unearthed in any province or region can be easily found by referring to the table, making it extremely convenient.
The "Inventory Tables" are organized based on the types of tools. In the "Overview," the author divides bronze production tools into 12 categories: knives, saws, chisels, drills, grinders, fishhooks (including other types of hooks), axes, adzes, plows, hoes, shovels, and sickles. Each category is presented in a separate table. Within each province or region, the tables are arranged by the chronological sequence of archaeological sites where the artifacts were unearthed. Each artifact from a site occupies a single cell in the table. The table displays the following items: discovery location and time, quantity and name of the artifact, artifact form and size, era, data source, and remarks.
In addition to the content of the above table, the "Inventory Tables" provide detailed records of the shape, casting techniques, and dimensions of each artifact. They correspond to the color illustrations at the beginning of the book and the line drawings and photographic plates at the end, creating a visually rich and intuitive presentation.