The investigation of metal archaeological artifacts from Xiongnu burials by the instrumentality of X-ray diffraction analysis and electron microscopy

The large copper rods with rounded tips can be recognized as the most mysterious objects found among artifacts which have been revealed from burial mounds associated with the Xiongnu. It is suggested that these rods could have been used as coffin handles. The reconstruction approaches and electron microscopy techniques used for the analysis of such an object yielded from a burial mound 22 in the Noin-Ula cemetery have made it possible to establish the method of its manufacture. The study showed that the inner rod of the object was made out of steel.