CHEMICAL COMPARISON OF RARE CHINESE WHITE POTTERY FROM FOUR SITES OF THE ERLITOU STATE: RESULTS AND ARCHAEOMETRICAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

White pottery is among the most significant finds from China's earliest state, Erlitou (c. 1900-1500 bc). Samples were primarily discovered in small numbers from elite tombs of a few sites, leading to the hypothesis that they were made at only a few locations and then circulated regionally as prestige items. To facilitate determining provenances, we compare the ICP-MS trace elements and TIMS Sr isotopes of whiteware with two soil samples from Nanwa, a possible manufacturing site, and with shards found at three other sites: Erlitou, Huizui and Nanzhai. The Nanwa shards demonstrate special elemental and Sr isotopic features. Considering the chemical observation and archaeological background to..