3,000-yr-old bronzeware casting workshop found in E China

HANGZHOU -- Important light has been thrown on ancient Chinese bronze casting by the discovery of copper ingots, molds and tools in a 3,000-year-old casting workshop excavated in east China's Zhejiang province.

The workshop ruins dating back to the late Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) were recently found by archaeologists near Tiaotou village in Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang.

Researchers from the institute of archaeology of Hangzhou started unearthing the site in July 2020, with an excavation area of 3,000 square meters.

Several well-preserved remains of molds, bronzeware, bronze ingots and charcoal, which are all related to the bronze making process, have been unearthed, said Lin Sen from the institute.

Lin said there is no clue to the source of the copper ingots, though they may have come from copper mines in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

Archaeologists also found bronze axes, spears and arrows at the ruins.

The discovery can fuel future research of the cultural exchanges between Central China, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and other regions in the Shang Dynasty.

The Tiaotou ruins have been listed among Zhejiang's top 10 archaeological discoveries for 2021.