Excavation of the Western Xiaotun Tombs of the Spring and Autumn Period in Xigong Area in Luoyang

 

From November of 1991 to January of 1992，archaeologists excavated a group of ancient tombs in the course of construction work on the capital city site of the Eastern Zhou in Western Xiaotun in the Xigong area of Luoyang City．Two of the tombs，C 1M3498 and C 1M3427，yielded a large number of artifacts，including bronzes，jades，stone or bone objects，and so on．Judging by the funerary objects and the structural features of these two tombs，they were built in the Spring and Autumn Period，and belonged to people of high rank．The excavation provides new information for the study of the urban layout and the arrangement of tombs in the capital city site of the Eastern Zhou during the Spring and Autumn Period．

 

 

Excavation of Three Tombs of the Western Jin in Jili Area in Luoyang

 

In October of 2006，archaeologists excavated three tombs of the Western Jin in the Jili Area of Luoyang City，Henan Province．Tomb M2490 was composed of a brick chamber and an earthen cave-chamber．The occupant was a woman：alongside her skeleton，two skeletons of children were found．Tomb M 2491 was composed of two earthen cave-chambers，two skeletons were found，one in the main chamber and one in the side chamber．Tomb M2492 was an earthen cave-chamber tomb with a single skeleton．From the three tombs, pottery, bronzes, silver, artifacts，iron objects, coins and pottery figures were unearthed．Tomb M2490 also yielded eight eggshells, which may have had some religious significance．The structures and the funeral objects of these tombs are all common to Jin tombs in the Central Plains area，so they likely date to the middle and the late Western Jin．

 

 

Some Methods of Making Inscription in Bronzes in the Shang and Zhou Period

 

Based mainly on the observation of the inscriptions of Zeng State bronzes，the author tries to sum up different methods of making inscriptions in the Shang and Zhou period．Besides illustrating the methods like engraving and chiseling on bronzes after casting，the present paper mainly concentrates on pre-casting processes for making inscriptions．After demonstrating the limited use of previously proposed methods such as the independent mold method and the leather-model method，the paper illustrates that clay-strip mold-making was the main approach for craftsmen preparing inscriptions made on the mold．