The dissemination of Chinese potash-rich faience: investigation of faience beads from the Wupu cemetery, Xinjiang

Abstract

The Wupu cemetery, located in the Yizhou District, Hami City, Xinjiang Province, and in the eastern part of the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, is remains from the late Bronze Age. In this study, four faience beads excavated from the Wupu cemetery were examined by stereomicroscopy, synchrotron radiation micro-CT, and electron microprobe analysis. The appearance and compositions of these faience beads are presented and discussed. The results show that these tubular faience beads, glazed by the application glazing method, are all potash-rich faience, consistent with the faience produced locally in China. The faience products from the Central Plains were disseminated to the Hami region of Xinjiang Province during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046 BC–771 BC), reflecting the spread of such faience to the west with the Zhou people mastering the technique of making potash-rich faience.