Work

Beyond painted pottery: a longue durée story of ceramic technology in prehistoric Northwest China

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: This paper presents a study of ceramics from Northwest China from the Neolithic and Bronze Age (c. 3300–600 BCE), providing insights into variations in human–ceramic interactions over time and space. Based on macroscopic and petrographic analysis of ceramics from 10 sites, this paper shows that there is much more complexity in ceramic technology than previously thought. It identifies a development from a bi‐modal distinction between painted fine ware and rusticated coarse wares shared among communities across Northwest China to strongly localised ceramic traditions with new fabrics, vessel shapes, and decorations, some of them potentially of outside origin, reflecting considerable societal change.

Source: Archaeometry

DOI: 10.1111/arcm.12943

Authors: Hein Anke, Stilborg Ole

Institutions: University of Oxford, Stockholm University

Language: English

Topic: Archaeological and Geological Studies

Subfield: Archeology (arts and humanities)

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,350

Funders: University of Oxford, John Fell Fund, University of Oxford