School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications
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ItemMaking the First Emperor’s Chariots—High-temperature Bronze Connection Technologies in Qin Dynasty China(Informa UK Limited, 2021)Since the discovery of two bronze chariots at Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum in 1978, the technical methods used by skilled artisans to construct them has remained a question of scholarly interest. While the parts and joints of the chariots have been studied, the complex metal technologies used to assemble the chariots has not been analysed in detail. This article examines the high-temperature connection technologies used to assemble the around 5500 metal parts of the two chariots and divides them into two major types: cast joints and welded joints. It categorises the cast joints, including embedded-casting and package-casting, and the welded joints as three types based on different methods. Through examination of the bronze chariots, this study demonstrates that the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) built on Bronze Age technologies to reach new heights of excellence in a post-Bronze Age.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableEmpress Cixi, treasures and tastes of the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912)( 2022-07-26)In the 19th century Australia and China engaged in trade, and Chinese workers settled in Australia. This lecture explores the cultural and economic connections between Australia and China, and compares their histories in the 1800s and early 1900s. It analyses Qing dynasty imperial patronage of the arts as the foundation for Chinese aesthetic tastes, art forms and artistic themes in the period 1636-1912.
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ItemThe Political and the Personal in Five Tang Dynasty Imperial Tombs of the Post-Wu Zetian Period(Wenwu Chubanshe, 2022)After his 705 resumption of the throne, Emperor Zhongzong (r.684 and 705-710) commissioned the construction of imperial tombs to reinstate the official status of members of the Tang dynasty imperial family who had been demoted and put to death in the Wu Zetian period. These grand tombs stood as symbols of both Li family political legitimacy and posthumous rehabilitation of the deceased. Five tombs containing mural paintings from 706, have been excavated, belonging to: Crown Prince Yide (d.701), Princess Yongtai (d.701) and Prince Li Xian (later Crown Prince Zhanghuai, d.684) at Qianling; and two concubines of Li Dan (later Emperor Ruizong, r.684- 690 and 710-712), Tang shi Anguo Xiangwang ruren (662-693) and Cui shi Anguo Xiangwang ruren (d.???) at Luoyang. These mural paintings are the largest number of discovered from any one year of the Tang dynasty. Comparison of the tombs and their mural paintings reveals new information about mortuary entitlements, relative status, standardisation of mural painting pictorial programs and personalisation reflecting the individual tastes and interests of tomb occupants or patrons commissioning the tombs.
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ItemA Sui-Tang Dynasty woman's crown: analyzing form, glass and class(Springer, 2022)A woman’s crown made of fine gilt bronze with refined glass inlay work was excavated from a Sui-Tang tomb called Kunlun M2 in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China. Very few female crowns and crown ornaments have been excavated in China thus far, and there has been a lack of systematic research into the technologies used to manufacture them. Importantly, this paper uses the M2 crown to investigate its surface inlays and overall shape, then conducts a com- parative analysis of women’s crown ornaments of the same type, providing a reference for study of the crown. Non- invasive and micro-destructive analysis including optical microscopy (OM), optical coherence tomography (OCT), micro X-ray fluorescence imagery (XRF), and Raman spectroscopy were applied. These identified the crown’s inlays as potash-lime glass, composed mainly of the raw materials: vein quartz or quartzite with potassium nitrate as flux. The inlays were sintered before embedding into gilt copper wire filigree. In comparison to the composition proportions in other ancient potash-lime glass, there is no specific percentage of the raw materials in Chinese potash-lime glass, where the ingredients were likely determined by the experience of the craftsman. Compared with existing research on other crowns and their inlays, this study speculates that the crown dates from the Sui dynasty (581–618) or early Tang dynasty (618–649), was made locally by Chinese craftsmen and belonged to the wife of a high official.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableCreating an Army for the Afterlife(ABC National Radio, Hobart, 2021)The Terracotta Army was constructed to accompany the tomb of China's First Emperor as an afterlife guard. Paul McIntyre spoke with archaeologist, Professor Tonia Eckfeld, who has been studying the ancient clay warriors for over three decades.
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