Study on manufacturing process of ancient Chinese bi-metallic bronze Ge

Abstract

Among ancient Chinese bronze ordnances, bi-metallic weapons reflect the superb manufacturing level, and exhibit important research and historical values. Up to now, many ancient bi-metallic bronze swords have been unearthed in China, and their manufacture process has been intensively analyzed. In this paper, two bi-metallic bronze Ges were discovered and studied for the first time, which were identified as the Chu Ge dated to the Warring States Period (475 BC–221 BC), and a possible manufacturing process was proposed, regarding their morphologies, microstructures, and chemical compositions. According to excavation information and typological characteristics, we deduce that these two Ges belong to a halberd, called the “double-Ge halberd.” The present work is helpful to understand the ancient metallurgical and casting technologies during the Warring States Period, and provides new technical evidences for archeology and metallurgy history.