Beyond Typology and Ritual: Rethinking Weapons in late Shang China (c.1250-1050 BCE)

The Shang is a major period, foundational to the forming of Chinese civilization and renowned for its magnificent bronze vessels. However, the even larger quantities of weapons in bronze and other materials have attracted less scholarly attention.

Based on her DPhil thesis at Oxford and the British Museum, Qin Cao’s new book on Shang weapons provides the first critical overview of these arms, moving beyond perceptions of them being merely symbols of power and rank.

In this talk, Qin will discuss the application of archaeological theories to late Shang weapons, in combination with quantitative and qualitative methods, including statistics, and metalwork wear analysis.