Thanks very much to Changming Wang for this detailed information. I'm 
not intending to work on native copper in China; I am just curious. And 
(for Jack Lifton) I was just looking for information to add to a lecture 
that I am giving at Oxford this week on the earliest bronze (and 
preceding stages of metallurgy) around the world. Susan Martin was kind 
enough to supply information on the Old Copper Culture of Wisconsin and 
Michigan. No book in progress yet!

For Changming and others interested in native copper in North America: 
although much has been written about the use of the native copper of the 
Upper Peninsula of Michigan - used continuously over six thousand years 
- there is native copper in many other parts of the continent. It was 
used in the Arctic, in Alaska and on the north-west coast until the 
arrival of Europeans. There was also abundant native copper in the 
southwestern USA, especially in Arizona, but there is as yet no evidence 
that it was ever used, which is very puzzling. The assumption has always 
been that all the little copper bells that are found in southwestern 
sites (Hohokam, Mogolon, Anasazi, etc.) were imported from west Mexico. 
One of our graduate students, Lisa Molofsky, is using lead isotope 
analysis to see if perhaps some of these bells might be copies locally 
made in Arizona from local native copper.


David Killick

Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721-0030
(520) 621-8685



汪常明 wrote:
> -----原始邮件-----
> 发件人: "汪常明" <[log in to unmask]>
> 发送时间: 2009-02-02 19:47:08
> 收件人: [log in to unmask]
> 抄送: 
> 主题: Use of native copper in China
> Hi, Dear Professor Killick
> I am Changming Wang, a PhD student of archaeometry. Several days ago I received a email from Dr.Susan Martin of Michigan Tech and she told me you are preparing a global summary of the earliest uses of metals. She hope me to contact you if I know any about the use of native copper in China. As I am studying on native copper of North America,so I also paid attention to the use of native copper in China,though not much. It is great to know you. I am sorry to it has taken so long to email you,because this period is Chinese traditional new year,Spring Festival.The following is some information on native copper in China.
>
> 1.	Distribution of native copper in China
> Native copper is not abundant occurrence in China.In recent decades,some new native copper deposits are found in 1)Weining,Guizhou Province, Southwestern China 2) Yunan-Guizhou border, Southwestern China and 3) Xinjiang region,Northwestern China.Native copper is main part of 4)Shuicaozi copper mine in Huize,Yunan Province and 5)Mayang copper mine in Mayang,Hunan Province. In addition,some native copper nuggets were reported to be found in other kind of copper mines sporadically,one weighs over one hundred kilogram.
> 2.	Ancient copper mining and native copper in China
> Some important early copper mining sites have been excavated,such as Dajing copper mine,Inner- Mongolia Autonomous Region;Tonglvshan and Gangxia copper mines,Hubei Province; Mayang copper mine,Hunan Province;Ruichang copper mine,Jiangxi Province and Tongling copper mine,Anhui Province.All these mines were exploited by ancient people before Warring states period,Eastern Zhou(before 221 BCE).In them,Mayang copper mine is a native copper mine. Tonglvshan copper mine was extracted only at surface oxidated zone, malachite and native copper and other oxidated copper are  primary ore minerals what ancient people secured from this mine.In some early literatures,some regions like Gansu Province,Yunnan Province and Guizhou Province as well as Tibet,the native copper nuggets were metioned to be found in the field.
> 3.	Early pure copper artifacts in China
> On the early pure copper artfacts in China,I believe that Mr.Jin can give you more information than me(I didn’t know Mr.Jin before,but knew him just by Dr.Susan Martin’email). Some copper artifacts from Qijia Culture and Longshan Culture were identified as native copper artifacts,Their copper content are extremely high by chemical analysis and the size is small like general native copper nuggets that are available to early people. By inspecting the surface of these items,some archaeologists believed them were processed by hammering.Based on above reason, many researchers agree they were fabricated from native copper.But the pure copper artifacts were discovered in latter period,too,late to Warring states period.As we know,Iron Age has arrived in China then.Actually, pure copper artfacts are not first copper artfacts in early cultures.As Mr.Jin has mentioned,many bronze artifacts had been discovered in Qijia Culture.the metallurgical technology had been developed before the pure copper artifacts appeared.No further research has been done on if those early pure copper artifacts were made from native copper or other kind of copper ores.It is also in question if native copper had been smelted then.
>
> Note shoud be made on the use of native copper in Dongchuan and Huize,Northeast Yunnan Province.The indigenous people had been employing native copper to fashion a famous handicraft named mottled copper since over three hundred years ago. This craft died out just decades ago because the native copper was more and more difficult to find.From this fact we can infer native copper was accessible to the early indigenous people in Northeast Yunnan. The early use of this metal was not impossible.
>
> The history of copper metallurgy in early China is still not very clear. As I am focusing my research on native copper in North America at present,my knowledge about Chinese native copper is limited. but I am very glad to assist you if any I can do and I am very interested in the use of early metals all over the world,too.Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any question or request.
>
> Sincerely 
> Changming Wang
>
> --
> Phone 86-13515669917 
>       86-0551-3491480 
> Dept. of History of science and Archaeometry
> University of Science and Technology of China(USTC)
> Hefei,Anhui Province,P.R.CHINA,230026
>
> --
>
> Phone 86-13515669917
> ????? 86-0551-3491480
> Dept. of History of science and Archaeometry
> University of Science and Technology of China(USTC)
> Hefei,Anhui Province,P.R.CHINA,230026
>
>
>