Metallurgy and civilisation: eurasia and beyond

Published in association with the University of Science and Technology, Beijing and the Institute for Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies, London. Proceedings from 6th International Conference on the Beginnings of the Use of Metals and Alloys (BUMA VI) held at the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) on 15-20 September 2006. Contents Ancient metallurgy in the Eurasian steppes and China: problems of interactions / Evgenij Chernykh -- Early metallurgy in China: some challenging issues in current studies / Jianjun Mei -- Metal trade in Bronze Age Central Eurasia / Liangren Zhang -- Documentary and archaeological evidence for an antique copper-nickel alloy (baitong) production in southern China and its exportation to India / Francois Widemann -- Metal trade between Europe and Asia in classical antiquity / Alessandra Giumlia-Marr, Michel Jeandin and Ken'ichi Ota -- The black bronzes of Asia / Paul Craddock ... [et al.] -- Origins and evolution of the casting technology of Anyang bronze ritual vessels: an exploratory survey / Yu Liu -- Three western Zhou bronze foundry sites in the Zhouyuan area, Shaanxi province, China / Wenli Zhou ... [et al.] -- New research on lost-wax casting in ancient China / Weirong Zhou ... [et al.] -- Incipient metallurgy in Yunnan: new data for old debates / Tzehuey Chiou-Peng -- A study of the surface craft of weapons from the Ba-Shu region of ancient China / Zhihui Yao and Shuyun Sun -- Production of signature artifacts for the nomad market in the state of Qin during the late Warring States period in China (4th-3rd century BCE) / Katheryn M. Linduff -- An early iron-using centre in the ancient Jin state region (8th-3rd century BC) / Rubin Han and Hongmei Duan -- From western Asia to the Tianshan Mountains: on the early iron artefacts found in Xinjiang / Wu Guo -- South Indian Iron Age iron and high carbon steel: with reference to Kadebakele and comparative insights from Mel-siruvalur / Sharada Srinivasan ... [et al.] -- Survivial of traditional Indian ironworking / Vibha Tripathi and PrabhakarUpadhaya -- Fine structures: mechanical properties and origin of iron of an ancient steel sword excavated from the old mound in Japan / Masahiro Kitada -- Specialisation in iron-and-steel-making in the early Middle East and Central Asia: myths, assumptions and a reassessment of early manuscript evidence / Brian Gilmour -- The early history of lost-wax casting / Christopher J. Davey -- A natural draught furnace for bronze casting / Bastian Asmus -- The liquidation process utilised in silver production from copper ore: the transfer to and development in Japan / Eiji Izawa -- A technical study of silver samples from Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China, dating from the Warring States period to the Tang dynasty / Junchang Yang ... [et al.] -- Scientific analysis of lead-silver smelting slag from two sites in China / Pengfei Xie and Thilo Rehren