요동지역 북방계통 청동기의 유입 양상

Abstract

This study examines the influx patterns of the northern-system cultural elements in China’s Liaodong region. The regional and chronological transitions of these elements and their interactions with the surrounding areas are explored. The temporal scope is set from around the 14th to the 10th century BCE, before the bronze culture of this area was fully integrated into the Mandolin-shaped Bronze Dagger Culture and before the successful fusion of foreign and indigenous cultures. The materials from Liaoxi, Northern and Eastern Hebei, Central and Southern Inner Mongolia, and the Northern Shaanxi Plateau that show similar patterns are reviewed. Accordingly, this study seeks to deduce the nature of Liaodong’s northern-system bronze artifacts by considering the emergence of groups with bronze-making technology and their complex relationships with the surrounding cultural elements. During the first phase of this study, the Liaodong region began to witness the emergence of northern-system cultural elements, but no substantial influx of bronze ware was observed. Based on the typological features and categories of bronze ornaments and weapons, a close affinity with the Northern Hebei region is evident. However, in Liaodong, the continuity of the bronze casting culture seems disrupted. This study presumes that the influx of bronze technology was interrupted around the 14th century BCE, before the introduction of the Yin Ruins or Pre-Zhou cultures. However, by the second phase, in the late Shang dynasty, a significant increase in the number of bronze weapons and tools in the northeastern region of China was observed, which corresponds to the easternmost part of the Eurasian Steppe. Particularly during this period, continuous cultural change and development occurred through sustained contact and exchange not only with nearby regions such as Liaoxi and Northern-Eastern Hebei but also with the Eurasian Steppe, Central Plains, and the Guanzhong area. Compared to bronze vessels, this is more distinctly observed in bronze weapons and tools. The discovery of numerous bronzes and molds at the Bangliu and Beiwai sites in Shenyang indicates that bronze casting technology had already been introduced. The interaction with the Liaoxi region appears to have intensified during this period. By the Western Zhou period, with the influx of Yan culture across the Lian Mountains and the fusion of northern-system and Central Plains bronze cultures, a foundation was laid for the emergence of the Bipa-Form Bronze Sword Culture, blending Central Plains casting techniques with weaponry from the Eurasian Steppe.