It is widely acknowledged that the iron industry developed during the Han period led to the widespread distribution of iron implements, but how such iron implements were supplied to the peripheries, especially the southern frontiers within the Lingnan region where evidence of local manufacturing has not been widely found, remains unclear. This paper presents the results of analyses of iron objects from Han tombs in Guangzhou, which was a major center in Lingnan, as a means of shedding light on the iron supply system in the region. The metallurgical and SEM-EDS analyses identified cast iron, fined iron, solid-state decarburization of cast iron, and bloomery iron within the tested assemblage. Since evidence for local cast iron manufacturing has not yet been identified in Lingnan, the discovery of iron or steel objects made by the cast iron process suggested that a supply and transportation system for final products might have developed linking Guangzhou, and perhaps other centers in Lingnan as well, to iron production centers located outside the region. Meanwhile, the comparison of slag inclusions (SIs) in bloomery iron products from Guangzhou and smelting slag samples from the Guiping-Pingnan area of Guangxi, which were dated between the Han and Southern dynasties period, did not strongly support a link between the two areas. More studies are needed to further test this potential link. Nevertheless, through collective consideration of the available evidence, we would argue that the supply of iron daily items did rely on external sources, which suggests that a relatively well-developed transportation network might have existed between Lingnan and other parts of the Han Empire.

中文翻译：

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汉帝国南部边疆地区铁器的供应：对广州汉墓中铁器的冶金研究

众所周知，汉朝时期的钢铁工业导致了铁器的广泛分布，但是这种铁器是如何供应到周边地区的，尤其是岭南地区的南部边疆，那里当地制造的证据还不广泛。发现后，仍不清楚。本文介绍了广州汉族陵墓中铁制品的分析结果，该陵墓是岭南的一个主要中心，以此为该地区的铁供应系统提供照明。冶金学和SEM-EDS分析确定了所测试的组件中的铸铁，细铁，铸铁的固态脱碳和大铁。由于尚未在岭南找到本地铸铁制造的证据，通过铸铁工艺制造的钢铁物体的发现表明，可能已经建立了最终产品的供应和运输系统，从而将广州，也许还有岭南的其他中心与该地区以外的钢铁生产中心联系起来。同时，比较了汉朝和南朝时期广州的铁水产品和广西桂平至屏南地区的熔渣样品中的夹杂物，这并没有强烈支持这两个区域之间的联系。 。需要更多的研究来进一步测试该潜在链接。不过，通过对现有证据的综合考虑，我们认为铁日用品的供应确实依赖于外部资源，