Scientific analysis of the bronze artifacts excavated from Xinfeng cemetery, Lintong district, Xi’an City, China: raw material sources determined by lead isotopes and trace elements

Four bronzes excavated from Xinfeng Qin Cemetery, Shaanxi Province, were analyzed by SEM–EDS, LA-MC-ICP-MS and ICP-MS. The results of the lead isotope analysis indicate that Xinfeng bronzes, the early Qin period bronzes and some Qin Mausoleum bronzes may use similar mineral materials from the western Henan Province, which reveal the circulation of metal resources between Qin state and Chu state in the late Warring States Period. The lead isotope ratios comparison also shows that some Xinfeng bronzes are imported from Qi or Yan state as a result of population migration. The result of the trace elements is consistent with the result of the lead isotope analysis. This study provides new evidences for understanding the supply network of metal resource of Qin state during the late Warring States Period.