Chapter 16 Chapter 4 Bronze Culture in the Spring and Autumn Period

As we mentioned earlier, in the Shang Dynasty, an iron-bladed copper axe made of meteorite iron was discovered, which was the initial understanding and utilization of iron by the ancient Chinese people.According to archaeological discoveries, in the Western Zhou Dynasty and the early Spring and Autumn Period, artificially smelted iron began to appear.For example, in 1990, the iron sword with jade stem and copper core unearthed from the cemetery of Guo State in Shangcunling, Sanmenxia, ​​Henan Province, was tested and identified by the China Metallurgical History Research Office of Beijing University of Science and Technology, and it was confirmed to be an artificial iron smelting product, which was forged by block smelting.Another example is the copper-handled iron sword unearthed in 1978 in the early Spring and Autumn Period in Jingjiazhuang, Lingtai, Gansu.The block smelting method is a method of reducing iron ore with charcoal in a solid state at a relatively low temperature of about 1000°C to obtain iron. It needs to be forged to remove impurities before making utensils.In the late Spring and Autumn Period, ironware made of white cast iron appeared.For example, the iron tripod unearthed from the late Spring and Autumn Period tombs in Yangjiashan, Changsha, Hunan in 1976, with a residual height of 6.9 cm, was identified as white cast iron.White cast iron is iron obtained by reducing iron ore with charcoal at a high temperature of 1146°C in a liquid state, and generally contains more than 2% carbon.The emergence of white cast iron is inseparable from the high development of bronze smelting and casting industry at that time.The emergence of white cast iron is of great significance. It can be used to cast various ironware, which enables ironware to be widely used in production and life, and plays a major role in promoting the development of production.The above-mentioned archaeological discoveries show that China used pig iron more than 1,800 years earlier than Europe, which is also a major contribution of ancient Chinese people to the development of world civilization.In addition, a bronze iron sword with a residual length of 38.4 centimeters was unearthed from the same tomb in Yangjiashan, Changsha.According to metallographic identification, it is a medium-carbon steel with a carbon content of about 0.5%. The structure is relatively uniform and very hard. It may have been subjected to high-temperature annealing treatment, indicating that block-refined carburizing steel had been produced at that time.In short, the gradual application of ironware in the late Spring and Autumn Period, especially the emergence of hard steel tools, not only greatly promoted the development of agricultural production, but also provided tough tools for various handicraft industries, including bronze smelting and casting, and promoted the development of various handicraft industries. , including a new leap forward in the bronze smelting and casting industry.