Manufacturing techniques of sacrificial pottery from Jiaojia site, China, during the Dawenkou Culture

Abstract This paper presents the first study results on sacrificial pottery samples originating from the Dawenkou Culture (BCE 4100 ∼ 2600) site of Jiaojia, located in the northern part of the Taiyi mountain chain (Shandong Province, China). Twenty-seven representative pottery shards have been selected and analyzed in detail using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to shed light on the manufacturing techniques of the pottery. The investigated pottery samples belonged to the same archaeological context and dated back to the third millennium BC. The results provided new insights on Dawenkou Culture pottery manufacturing processes and revealed some differences in the selection and preparation of raw materials between cookwares and drink wares, as indicated by the samples’ mineral characteristics and chemical composition. The sacrificial pottery is considered to be produced locally, and the raw materials may come from the sedimentation and transportation of Xiaoqing River around the site. The cookwares were mainly composed of Ca-poor clay, whereas drinking vessels were made of Ca-rich clay. The range of firing temperature of almost all vessels is between 800 and 950 °C, which indicates that the ancient potters had advanced skills in pottery making.