Standardisation, labour organisation and the bronze weapons of the Qin terracotta warriors
Alongside the thousands of terracotta warriors discovered in the tomb complex of the first emperor of China, were tens of thousands of bronze weapons, including arrowheads and crossbow triggers, lances, spears, halberds (and the ferrules associated with them), swords and a few other special types. This quantity and quality of bronze weaponry provides an extremely rare opportunity to investigate patterns of standardisation and labour organisation within a single, very large and intentional assemblage as well as to consider the role of bronze production during the Qin period (325-206 BC) which marks perhaps the most crucial early stage in Chinese political unification. This thesis draws upon extensive measurements, typological analysis and related statistical treatment, as well as a study of the spatial distribution of those bronze weapons found in the most extensively excavated part of the tomb complex (the five easternmost trenches in Pit 1). Metric data and statistical assessment of inter- and intra-group variation (e.g. coefficients of variation) suggest interesting patterns with regard to relative degrees of standardisation. A combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and point pattern analysis
Li, X.
Standardisation, labour organisation and the bronze weapons of the Qin terracotta warriors. Alongside the thousands of terracotta warriors discovered in the tomb complex of the first emperor of China, were tens of thousands of bronze weapons, including arrowheads and crossbow triggers, lances, spears, halberds (and the ferrules associated with them), swords and a few other special types. This quantity and quality of bronze weaponry provides an extremely rare opportunity to investigate patterns of standardisation and labour organisation within a single, very large and intentional assemblage as well as to consider the role of bronze production during the Qin period (325-206 BC) which marks perhaps the most crucial early stage in Chinese political unification. This thesis draws upon extensive measurements, typological analysis and related statistical treatment, as well as a study of the spatial distribution of those bronze weapons found in the most extensively excavated part of the tomb complex (the five easternmost trenches in Pit 1). Metric data and statistical assessment of inter- and intra-group variation (e.g. coefficients of variation) suggest interesting patterns with regard to relative degrees of standardisation. A combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and point pattern analysis
standardisation labour_organisation bronze weapon terracotta warrior alongside thousand terracotta warrior discover tomb complex first emperor china bronze weapon include trigger spear associate sword special type quantity_quality bronze weaponry provide extremely rare_opportunity investigate pattern standardisation labour_organisation within_single large intentional assemblage well consider_role bronze production period mark perhaps crucial early_stage chinese political unification draw_upon extensive measurement typological_analysis related statistical treatment well study spatial_distribution bronze weapon find extensively excavated part tomb complex trench pit metric data statistical assessment inter__intra group variation coefficient variation suggest interest pattern regard relative degree standardisation combination geographic_information_systems gis point pattern analysis