After Highly Radiogenic Lead: The Flow of Late Yinxu Lead During the Dynastic Transition of Shang–Zhou China
ABSTRACT The incorporation of lead into copper‐based alloys constitutes a significant technological innovation in early dynastic China. The circulation of distinct lead types provides crucial insights into the nature of inter‐regional communication networks during this period. Through lead isotopic analysis, we propose a major type of lead utilized during the Shang–Zhou transition periods, which has been recovered both from Yinxu in ingot form and from a distant site of Zhengxiaozhuang as pure lead objects. Mapping its geographic distribution reveals that potential connections between the Central Plains and the Yangtze River region were more pronounced along the western flank of the Dabie Mountains compared with the eastern routes.
Authors
- Fang Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2904-5013)
- Ruiliang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7745-5933)
- Haiyan Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9931-9884)
- Anchuan Fan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6755-1737)
- A. Mark Pollard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3757-4668)
- Jiansheng Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6877-6855)
- Zhengyao Jin
- Zhe Luo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8288-5490)
- Yuling He
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CN)
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- British Museum (GB)
- Fuyang Normal University (CN)
- Hunan Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CN)
- Fuyang Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital (CN)
- Oxford Archaeology (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Archaeometry
- Published
- 2026-08-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.70207
- Primary Topic
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- China Scholarship Council
- National Key Research and Development Program of China