The geology of Tianshui‐Qin'an area of the western Loess Plateau and the chemical characteristics of its Neolithic pottery

Ma, Hongjiao, Hein, Anke, Henderson, Julian and Ma, Qinglin (2020) The geology of Tianshui‐Qin'an area of the western Loess Plateau and the chemical characteristics of its Neolithic pottery. Geoarchaeology . ISSN 0883-6353

[img]
Preview
PDF - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Available under Licence Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

The difference in the chemical compositions between Neolithic pottery from the eastern and western ends of the northern Chinese Loess Plateau has been known for some time and a number of possible explanations have been proposed. However, a full understanding of the difference is yet to be achieved. Based on recent geological studies of the Tianshui-Qin’an area on the western Loess Plateau, the present study establishes a logical connection between the chemical characteristics of Neolithic pottery from the western Loess Plateau and the primary sediments available in the area. Moreover, this study reveals that the chemical compositions of clay used for fine wares and coarse wares at Dadiwan also bear some clear differences. Based on these findings, the paper discusses possible clay selection methods by potters in the Neolithic western Loess Plateau to make their different wares based on the locales where suitable raw materials are available. The paper demonstrates that the raw materials available for pottery making on the eastern and western Loess Plateau differ significantly and this explains the marked difference in ceramic composition between the two locations.

Item Type: Article
Keywords: Neolithic pottery; Chinese Loess Plateau; Miocene loess-soil sequence; Geology; Ceramic technology
Schools/Departments: University of Nottingham Ningbo China > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of International Studies
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21786
Depositing User: Wu, Cocoa
Date Deposited: 13 Apr 2020 01:27
Last Modified: 13 Apr 2020 01:27
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/60321

Actions (Archive Staff Only)

Edit View Edit View