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A Study of Pottery Tuyères Discovered at Bronze Casting Sites of the Shang Dynasty in China

by Bangcheng Tang (1), Xiaoyu Wang (2), Yvette A. Marks (3)

1 School of Archaeology and Museology, Sichuan University, China, 610207
2 School of Mechanical Engineering, Chongqing Three Gorges University, China, 404020
3 Archaeology, University of Sheffield, UK, S10 2TN

By applying the research method of experimental archaeology, the pottery tuyères unearthed from the bronze casting sites of the Shang Dynasty in China have been experimentally archaeologically reconstructed, and the process of smelting bronze using these tuyères has also been reconstructed. The experimental results show that the cap-shaped or umbrella-shaped structure of the tuyères in the Shang Dynasty of China is conducive to preventing the tuyères from breaking due to uneven heating during the bronze smelting process, thus increasing the reusable rate of the tuyères and helping to ensure the continuous progress of the bronze melting operation. From the perspective of typological research, the pottery tuyères may symbolize the male genitalia, and the characteristics they exhibit during pyrotechnic operations together constitute a symbol of reproduction. The furnace can be regarded as a metaphor for the female body. During the bronze casting process, the bronze casting craftsmen, the pottery tuyères, and the furnace jointly constitute a reproductive activity, and the cast bronze wares are the products of this activity. Based on this, the view is put forward that the sacrificial phenomena at the bronze casting sites of the Shang Dynasty may originate from the production rituals based on reproductive concepts.

Keywords: experimental archaeology, bronze casting sites, tuyères, sacrifice in Shang Dynasty, reproductive worship