The Identification of Jade Work Sawing Microwear Marks and Archaeological Implications for Prehistoric Technology in North China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Understanding the evolution of jade work techniques remains a central issue in the study of prehistoric cultural dynamics and social complexity, and North China in particular witnessed the emergence and development of this field. Sawing is a significant aspect of prehistoric jade work technology and involves flexible string, knife-cut and rotary sawing techniques. The archaeological record preserves different microwear marks indicating that the first two jade sawing techniques were widely practiced in the prehistoric period. A challenging problem that arises in this domain is the timing of the emergence of rotary sawing. Here, functional experiments and microwear observations verified that five prehistoric jade objects from the Gouwan site in North China are associated with rotary sawing technique, three of which are prehistoric rotary tools. This study presents the earliest and unique evidence that the rotary sawing technique was being used in northern China as early as 6000 years ago. and indicates that three sawing techniques were in use simultaneously in the mid-Yangshao Culture (c. 4000–3500 BC) of northern China. This finding not only demonstrates the selectivity and diversity of prehistoric jade work in northern China, but also has implications for how we interpret the function of prehistoric jade objects.