Rise and decline of ancient salt industry revealed by Na and Ca concentrations in sediments at Zhongba site, Chongqing

Abstract

Based on dynastic period division and AMS14C dating performed on the sedimentary layers at Zhongba and Yuxi sites, and also the analysis of Na, Ca and Mg of 201 sedimentary samples from Zhongba site and that of Ca and Na in 47 sedimentary samples from Yuxi by using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP), we found that there were 35 time periods when the contents of Ca and Na were reversely correlated, i.e. whenever the content of Ca was the highest, the content of Na was the lowest, and vice versa. Among them, there were 21 time periods when the content of Ca was the highest, and Na was the lowest, indicating that there were about 21 prosperous periods of ancient salt production at Zhongba site since 3000BC. Other 14 time periods with the peak values of Na while the low values of Ca indicate 14 declined periods of salt production at Zhongba site since 3000BC. The conclusion obtained from the reverse relationship between Ca and Na contents in this paper is consistent with that “the salt production at Zhongba site started in the new stone age, developed in the Xia and Shang dynasties, reached at the heyday in periods from the Western Zhou to the Han Dynasties, maintained stable to develop in the Tang and the Song dynasties, and gradually declined after the Song Dynasty because the sea salt were conveyed into Sichuan region, however, still had production in the 1970s–1980s”, educed from archeological exploration. All the above mentioned results indicate that there is a reverse relationship obviously between the contents of Na and Ca in sediments at Zhongba site for ancient salt production, which can be used to reveal the process of rise and decline of ancient salt industry at Zhongba site.