Tang Center for Early China

唐氏早期中國研究中心
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March 3, 2023

Early China Seminar Lecture Series

Title: “Art and Technology: Early “Animal Style” Gold Artifacts Found in Northwest China and the Eurasian steppes”
Speaker: Yan (Fiona) Liu, Columbia University / Northwestern Polytechnical University (China)
Time: March 3, 2023 (4:30-6:30 PM EST)
Venue: Faculty House
*Please check the announcement board in the first floor lobby for room information.
**Please see Seminar Safety Guidelines for attendance information.

Precious metals recently discovered from the Dongtalede cemetery in the Xinjiang Altai region and other burial sites in northwest China (dating from the 9th century to the 3rd century BCE) have attracted much attention for their artistic mastery and fine craftsmanship. This is especially true of gold ornaments rendered in animal styles, such as ibex, snow leopard, boar, deer, and other zoomorphic figures, and which are closely linked to gold objects excavated in Central Asia and Southern Siberia. Through discussing the industry and political economy of gold crafting in early China, we will look at the manufacturing techniques and ornamental details of “animal style” gold artifacts from an interdisciplinary perspective. Multispectral non-destructive analyses of tool marks and microstructure of selected samples reveal specific gold-making technologies of the time, such as double-sided carving and mould-pressing techniques. The results show that gold production was practiced under elite control and that craftsmanship varied in early Iron Age northwest China. Patterns of compositional data pertaining to the “animal style” appliqués found in Dongtalede, Balikun (Xinjiang), and Majiayuan (Gansu) sites and their counterparts in the Eurasian steppes also point to various mineral provenances

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Filed Under: events-upcoming, Uncategorized

Announcement

February 10, 2023
Early China Seminar – Maddalena Poli 
Forthcoming Publication
Spring and Autumn Historiography: Form and Hierarchy in Ancient Chinese Annals – Newell Ann Van Auken
Publication in the Tang Center Series in Early China 
Mediation of Legitimacy in Early China: A Study of the “Neglected Zhou Scriptures” and the Grand Duke Traditions – Yegor Grebnev

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Tang Center for Early China – Columbia University
509 Kent Hall, MC 3907
1140 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027
Tel: 212.854.5546  Fax: 212.851.2510
E-mail: [email protected]

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