The Role of Tin and Arsenic in XIONGNU Bronze Technology and Their Sociopolitical Implications over Time

Abstract

Metallographic examination of numerous bronze objects from the royal Xiongnu tomb at Gol Mod 2 in Mongolia has revealed evidence for a tin-conserving environment suggesting the emergence of a new technological tradition defined by decreasing reliance on tin and arsenic over time. This apparently humble alloy method was likely facilitated by the advent of iron and steel technologies replacing bronze in the manufacture of critical functional items. We propose that this development was a key episode in the evolution of the Mongolian bronze metallurgical tradition. By substituting iron for utilitarian tools and weapons that had previously been made from bronze, steppe populations overcame a technological hurdle evidenced by the under-utilization or conservation of tin as a local resource. This major technological shift may well have been one factor in facilitating the rise and development of the Xiongnu state (third century BCE-second century AD).