Taking Southern African Ceramic Studies into the Twenty-First Century: A Zimbabwean Perspective

I advocate in this contribution the need to emphasize the social milieu of pottery production, use, and distribution as a means of gaining a meaningful understanding of the significance of ceramics from archaeological contexts. Je préconise dans cette contribution le besoin de souligner le milieu social de la production, de l'emploi et de la distribution de poteries en tant que moyens de gagner une compréhension sérieuse de l'importance de céramiques venant de contextes archéologiques.     

Preliminary Provenance Research on Chinese Neolithic Pottery: Huating (Xinyi County) and Three Yellow River Valley Sites

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was applied to sherds from the important site of Huating and, for comparison, several Neolithic sites in the valley of the Yellow River. We hoped to compare the compositions of two stylistically different ceramics found at Huating, and to evaluate the degree of compositional clustering and inter‐site resolution that could be expected in an area that is noted for its extensive, and possibly very homogeneous, loess deposits. In addition, pottery sherds from Huating have been examined by microscopic petrography. All of these results will provide needed input in the planning of research towards the formation of a Neolithic/Shang Dynasty ceramic database for future use in archaeological research in China.     

Pottery Styles during the Early Jomon Period: Geochemical Perspectives on the Moroiso and Ukishima Pottery Styles

Energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) was used to determine the minor and trace element chemistry of 92 Early Jomon pottery sherds. The sherds came from four contemporary sites in the Kanto region and belong to either the Moroiso or Ukishima style of pottery. Principal components analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis indicate that there are four major groups in the data set, which correspond to site location. Furthermore, for sites having both Moroiso and Ukishima pottery, the statistical tests indicate that both styles of pottery were made from the same or geochemically similar raw materials. This suggests that both styles were probably made at the same site, and indicates that if the different pottery styles are reflecting ethnic identity, then intermarriage between ethnic groups is occurring. Alternatively, the pottery styles could be reflecting some sort of social interaction between groups.     

陶起源探讨

本文对新石器时代各区系文化出土的陶作了序列排比及类型分析,指出陶可分实足与袋足两类,它们各自有着自身的发生、发展途径,实足起源于海岱文化区,袋足起源于太湖文化区;纠正了以往一般认为袋足由实足发展而来的看法。这对于确立良渚文化的时空框架,理清太湖地区新石器时代文化与周边文化的关系以及良渚文化在中国文明起源过程中的历史地位都具有积极的意义。     

The study of collector variability in the transition to sedentary food producers in northern Colombia

Human adaptation to the tropics by populations of collectors has been a longtanding issue of debate, especially with regard to the role that collectors may have played in pathways toward sedentism and food production. In this essay, I examine significant differences in strategies developed for estuarine environments versus the inland environments of the transitional savannas of northern Colombia to analyze how these two adaptations articulate with the processes which led toward sedentism and food production in neotropical northern Colombia. Contrary to the received wisdom, I argue that the exploitation of rich estuarine environments is not necessarily a prelude to food production; seed exploitation early in the sixth millennium B.P. in the northern Colombian transitional savanna zone provides a second and arguably more probable model.     

The multivariate statistical analysis and XRD analysis of pottery at Xigongqiao site

A series of pottery samples excavated from the Xigongqiao site in Tengzhou city of Shandong province was determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Together with excavation data and archaeological analysis, the potential for provenance and technology of unearthed ancient pottery was studied by using multivariate statistical analysis and X-ray powder diffraction pattern (XRD) analysis. In order to characterize and classify these earthenware samples, the major and minor/trace element concentrations were studied with both cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The results showed that there were three different groups in cluster analysis dendrogram in good correlation with their colors. This indicated that the potteries were made from clays of different composition. These results were in agreement with the results of principal component analysis. XRD analysis further assessed the validity of multivariate statistical analysis.     

老河口市柴店岗砖厂汉代窑址清理简报

1999年,老河口市博物馆配合柴店岗砖厂取土,抢救清理了1座西汉中晚期陶窑。窑为半地穴式建筑,3个烟囱,主要由窑前室、火门、火膛、窑床等构成。窑室东部低洼地堆积有丰富的窑内废弃物,主要有日用陶器、丧葬用陶、生产工具、建筑仞陶等。此窑应为专门烧制日用陶器、丧葬用陶及建筑用陶的民营私窑。     

河南商周青铜器蝉纹及其相关问题

早在红山文化、良渚文化时期就已出现了玉蝉,而蝉纹最早出现在青铜器上是在商代.本文对河南商周青铜器上的蝉纹进行归纳、梳理,把他们分为无足蝉纹、两足蝉纹、四足蝉纹和变形蝉纹四种类别,并对该纹饰的有关问题略述管见.     

古代残留物分析在考古中的应用

动植物是人类社会发展的重要基石,它的利用是人类适应、改造和征服自然的物质基础,古代社会的方方面面都与之相关,因而动植物及其制品的残留物分析能提供古代社会丰富的信息。残留物分析重点在于从残留物中提取有机物。利用科学检测手段进行定性定量分析来判断残留物来源,从而了解古代动植物的加工、利用和相关载体的功能等。本文从DNA、淀粉粒、蛋白质、脂类、炭化物和酒等六个方面简要介绍了残留物分析的方法和进展,希望能促进残留物分析在中国的开展．     

中国早期陶器的研究

本文通过对历史、考古文献的梳理,将学界对于中国陶器起源及早期发展的探索过程分为三个阶段进行回顾;并指出早期陶器研究中存在的几个问题,认为多学科的综合研究将有利于中国早期陶器相关问题的深入探讨。