COLD WORKED AND ANNEALED BRONZE OBJECTS AND RELEVANT MOTIF TECHNIQUES IN THE CHINESE BRONZE AGE: A SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF BRONZE SHEETS FOUND AT SONGJIA CEMETERY IN SHAANXI, CHINA

Six thin Chinese bronze chariot accessory sheets from Songjia cemetery in Shaanxi province were dated to the late Western Zhou dynasty (ninth to eighth centuries bce) and analysed for their elemental composition and motif techniques. The objects were cold worked and annealed with embossed motifs and carved lines. This is the only case of cold working and annealing with embossed motifs and carved lines in China; these techniques may have come from or been influenced by other cultures. These findings are important for revealing the development of the cold-working, annealing techniques and relevant motif techniques in China.