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•The first lead isotope research on Chinese bronze mirrors of the Warring States Period and Han Dynasty at the same time.•Distinct and interesting changes in mineral resources of Hunan bronze mirrors during the late Bronze Age.•A new perspective on the production of Chu mirrors during the Warring States Period.

•First evidence of using speiss for counterfeit coin in ancient China.•First comprehensive scientific analysis of Tang Dynasty counterfeit coins.•First radiocarbon date for Tang dynasty hoard coins.•Lead isotope and elemental correlation demonstrated how local Cu-Pb syngenetic ore was used for minting coins.•The easy access of material sources and special manufacture techniques facilitated counterfeiting.

•Primary provenience of metals in the Hami Basin was found to be non-indigenous.•Evidence for contact between populations in the southern Altai Mountains and Hami Basin.•New understanding of the Hami Basin as a cultural passageway for the diffusion of metallurgy.

An attempt on the use of secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) in studying ancient Chinese bronze is reported with an evaluation of the suitability of SIMS for the provenance study of ancient bronze objects. The advantage of using SIMS in the study of the lead isotope ratio is the high sensitivity that enables the examination of small fragments of valuable relics that are often difficult to collect. The application of SIMS in this direction widens the sampling area, which is limited by the use of thermal ionization mass spectroscopy (TIMS). The focus of the study has been placed on the precision of SIMS when compared to TIMS and the effect of sample matrices on the precision. Samples of Chinese bronze artefacts and a standard lead sample (SRM 981) were tested for their lead isotope ratios using both SIMS and TIMS. A comparison of the data obtained using the two techniques showed that SIMS results have a relatively large standard deviation, which was attributed to the non-uniformity of the ancient samples and the single-isotope detection system of the SIMS set-up used. Matrix effects were found to be small among bronze samples of different compositions. Non-conducting samples can also be analysed when a specimen isolation technique is employed. Although SIMS gave higher uncertainties than TIMS, the SIMS technique can be applied easily to differentiate the high radiogenic lead in Shang bronze artefacts from common lead. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An attempt on the use of secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) in studying ancient Chinese bronze is reported with an evaluation of the suitability of SIMS for the provenance study of ancient bronze objects. The advantage of using SIMS in the study of the lead isotope ratio is the high sensitivity that enables the examination of small fragments of valuable relics that are often difficult to collect. The application of SIMS in this direction widens the sampling area, which is limited by the use of thermal ionization mass spectroscopy (TIMS). The focus of the study has been placed on the precision of SIMS when compared to TIMS and the effect of sample matrices on the precision. Samples of Chinese bronze artefacts and a standard lead sample (SRM 981) were tested for their lead isotope ratios using both SIMS and TIMS. A comparison of the data obtained using the two techniques showed that SIMS results have a relatively large standard deviation, which was attributed to the non‐uniformity of the ancient samples and the single‐isotope detection system of the SIMS set‐up used. Matrix effects were found to be small among bronze samples of different compositions. Non‐conducting samples can also be analysed when a specimen isolation technique is employed. Although SIMS gave higher uncertainties than TIMS, the SIMS technique can be applied easily to differentiate the high radiogenic lead in Shang bronze artefacts from common lead. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.