Multi-analytical investigation of decorative coatings on Neolithic Yangshao pottery from Ningxia, China (4000-3000 BCE)

Abstract

Yangshao, well-known for its exquisite painted pottery, has long been considered as the most important Neolithic culture in China. Yangshao pottery excavated in Ningxia, a remote region, has never been scientifically investigated. In this study, the selected painted pottery samples from Ningxia were examined to characterise the decorative coatings using a multi-analytical approach. The white slip was likely made of kaolinitic clay. The black decoration on the surface was mostly jacobsite. Inclusion of manganese and iron oxides within the black decoration informed the process of jacobsite formation. Complemented by ab initio calculations, varying tones of black can be explained by the band gaps of different materials. An in-depth discussion on the formation of the detected materials will help gain insight into technical details involved in the craft of Yangshao pottery and therefore better understand the cultural diffusion of Yangshao from the core area to Ningxia.