<P> The bronzes of the Western Zhou Dynasty document large portions of history not found in the extant texts that were often composed by persons of varying rank and possibly even social class . Further, the medium of cast bronze lends the record they preserve a permanence not enjoyed by manuscripts . These inscriptions can commonly be subdivided into four parts: a reference to the date and place, the naming of the event commemorated, the list of gifts given to the artisan in exchange for the bronze, and a dedication . The relative points of reference these vessels provide have enabled historians to place most of the vessels within a certain time frame of the Western Zhou period, allowing them to trace the evolution of the vessels and the events they record . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Japanese Bronze Age </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> <P> 2nd century BCE Yayoi dōtaku bronze bell . </P> </Li> <Li> <P> 2nd century BCE Yayoi bronze spearhead . </P> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Japanese Bronze Age </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> <P> 2nd century BCE Yayoi dōtaku bronze bell . </P> </Li> <Li> <P> 2nd century BCE Yayoi bronze spearhead . </P> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr>

What can bronze artifacts tell us about the cultures that made them