Due to the relative scarcity of transmitted texts, bronze inscriptions have become one of the principal sources for investigating key issues in early Chinese history—particularly during the Shang and Zhou periods—such as the formation of clan system and kin-based political communities. A wide variety of records were cast onto bronzes, ranging from clan emblems to political appointments and rewards, as well as intermarriages among noble families. While historians and archaeologists have long engaged in detailed philological and case-based studies, large-scale systematic analyses remain limited.

This study constructs a comprehensive and structured database containing nearly 20,000 inscribed bronze artifacts from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, enabling the integration of diverse data types and embedding the analysis within spatiotemporal and relational contexts.

The method of social network analysis (SNA) is employed to explore various types of networks—including clan emblem networks, co-occurrence networks, political networks, and marriage networks—across three levels: the micro level (individuals and families), the meso level (clusters and groups), and the macro level (topological structure). Temporal changes in these networks reveal striking shifts in power dynamics among noble families, mapping the evolving sociopolitical landscape of Early China.