Burial environment of bronze artifacts

Mitsui, Seiichiro  

Burial environmental conditions of bronze halberds and bells excavated from Yanagisawa archaeological site in Nagano Prefecture were studied. The study indicated that the bronze artifacts were corroded under low oxygen condition in which cuprite is stable. The study results of distribution of chemical components derived from the artifacts revealed that copper and lead transferred at least two meters from the burial pit. On the other hand, tin remained in the vicinity of the artifacts. The tin behavior may explain the long-term corrosion of the bronze artifacts.