Composition analysis of pottery from the Jiangjiashan and Bianjiashan cemeteries in Liangzhu Ancient City, China

Abstract

This study selected 201 pottery samples from the elite cemeteries of Jiangjiashan and the commoners’ cemeteries of Bianjiashan in Liangzhu Ancient City, and analyzed their chemical compositions using pXRF. The results showed that there was a difference in the source of burial pottery used by Jiangjiashan elites and Bianjiashan commoners. The burial pottery used by Jiangjiashan elites was most likely the product of processing for specific funerary events, and the elites intervened in corresponding production activities; whereas the burial pottery used by Bianjiashan commoners had a differentiated production based on texture or type, and its source was stable, so its production was likely spontaneous and without elite influence. Therefore, in addition to jade, the burial pottery used by Liangzhu elites also served as an expression of their status; controlling the production of special pottery was a means of constructing their identities.