War and Demand for Technology: Archaeological Evidence from Early China

Zhiwu Chen (), Senhao Hu () and Zhan Lin ()
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Zhiwu Chen: The University of Hong Kong
Senhao Hu: The University of Hong Kong
Zhan Lin: Renmin University of China

Chapter Chapter 3 in Quantitative History of China, 2026, pp 43-61 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Using archaeological data on excavated bronze and iron grave goods dated between 1700 BCE and 220 CE, this chapter provides micro-level evidence supporting the claim that higher frequencies of war stimulated demand for technological innovations. Specifically, regions that experienced more wars during early historical China adopted bronze earlier and had significantly higher ratios of military to all bronze grave goods; that is, these regions applied bronze, the new technology of the time, more heavily for the battlefield. In contrast, war experience had no effect on the extent of bronze and iron applications in farming. These findings are robust to the inclusion of various geographic, climatic, and productivity controls.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-96-8272-0_3

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