Jade Artifacts Research Articles

Utilization and exchange of jade in western China during the late Longshan Era (2300∼1800 BC): Evidence from Lajia site, Minhe County, Qinghai Province

During the Longshan Era, the production and use of jade, including bi-discs, cong-tubes, axes, and other artifacts, were prevalent in several regions situated along the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. The exchanges and interactions between them have been discussed by many scholars. Among these societies that valued jades, Ganqing region of Qijia Culture is regarded as a significant source of some valuable jade materials like nephrite. The non-destructive testing of jade artifacts excavated from the Lajia site, a central settlement of the Qijia culture, revealed a comparatively high proportion of nephrite, as well as a rich variety of materials. This demonstrates the acknowledgment and utilization of jade materials, particularly the valuable nephrite in the surrounding region. The availability of jade materials and uncomplicated jade processing created the conditions for household production of jade. Needs for ritual and exchange are considered as potiential driving force behind such production. Evidences of producing and using amazonite artifacts and trumpet-shaped tubes suggests long-distance exchange and influence of jade artifacts/materials. The circulation of nephrite materials may also have been embedded in this network of exchange.

“侯”字的象形原型与良渚文化玉器上“鸟立高台”图符 (The pictographic prototype of the Chinese character "Hou (侯)" and the symbol of "bird standing on a high platform" on the Liangzhu Culture jade artifacts)

“侯”字的象形原型与良渚文化玉器上“鸟立高台”图符 (The pictographic prototype of the Chinese character "Hou (侯)" and the symbol of "bird standing on a high platform" on the Liangzhu Culture jade artifacts)

The symbol of the "Bird Standing on Platform" on the jade artifacts of the Liangzhu Culture and the pictographic prototype of the Chinese character "Hou侯"

The symbol of the "Bird Standing on Platform" on the jade artifacts of the Liangzhu Culture and the pictographic prototype of the Chinese character "Hou侯"

Jade for Bones in Hongshan Craftsmanship: Human Anatomy as the Genesis of a Prehistoric Style

Jade artifacts produced in prehistoric China continue to generate extensive scholarly interest. In the absence of textual data, inferring how works functioned in Jade Age communities remains challenging. This paper focuses on Hongshan 红山 culture (4500–3000 BCE) jades, a distinctively styled corpus primarily recovered from late fourth millennium BCE graves in northeastern China. Recent finds within and beyond the Hongshan core zone have enriched the jade inventory and expanded the known scope of its stylistic variations. The analysis sheds light on enigmatic types, reveals the complex representational nature of this corpus, and clarifies the mimetic intentions that resulted in the soft rounded forms characteristic of the style. Most objects examined were unearthed at Hongshan ceremonial centers and have sound excavation pedigrees. Their study relies on contextual archaeological data and comparative visual analysis and draws on the broader Hongshan material world. Further considerations include environment, funerary practices, materiality, cognition, and human anatomy. Ultimately, the paper uncovers new paradigms of figural representation that should open fresh investigative avenues for specialists of early China. Preliminary evaluation of jades unearthed further south at Lingjiatan 凌家滩 and Liangzhu 良渚 sites suggests that some late Neolithic societies adopted Hongshan practices. Current evidence hints at members of prehistoric communities attempting, through jade works, to rationalize their physical circumstances and assert their social power by symbolically fusing with elements of their environments.

Characterizing ancient jade by on-site analysis in Sanxingdui, China

Characterized by various materials, types and patterns, ancient jade is a unique symbol of Chinese civilization. However, crucial information can be jeopardized by the sudden exposure during excavations, and abundant jade artefacts were stored without scientific identification in the archaeological context. Sanxingdui site was an essential center of a complex society in the Chengdu Plain in Bronze Age China. During the new excavation in Sanxingdui sacrificial area (pit K3–K8) since 2019, cabins have been used for better site conservation, providing ideal conditions for on-site study. Employing portable devices, on-site non-destructive analysis were conducted inside pit K8. The results of Raman and XRF show that the raw material is nephrite, indicating the consistency of jade material preference with the majority of Sanxingdui jade from pit K1–K2 and the majority of prehistoric jade as well. Evidence of mineral thermal phase transition from tremolite to diopside was found on the zao chisel and proved the existence of jade burning related to the sacrificial activities. The Fe content in the surrounding soil led to the red and orange colors on the jade surfaces and the neutral environment helped retaining of the original texture and natural luster of the nephrite. Based on the geometric morphometric database, the jade zhang forked blade was quantitatively recognized as the most typical zhang type only found in Sanxingdui. It is demonstrated that the non-destructive analysis is efficient to characterize the ancient jade and makes it possible to construct the database of all the jade artefacts on site, providing the basis of solving larger-scale archaeological problems that are not necessarily bounded by geographical regions or time periods.

The Metaphysical Analysis of the Chinese Taoism of Immortality: Case Study on Continuity and Changes of Ancient Excavated Jade Artifacts

Taoist philosophy and metaphysics show an important role in ancient and modern Chinese society with its thinking about the value and meaning of life and has become an important resource for both traditional Chinese philosophy and modern. This article discusses the concept of immortality in Taoism from the point of view of metaphysics. The goal was to metaphysically analyze the symbolism of the immortality of jade artifacts found during archaeological excavations. The object of the study is the Taoist symbolism of the immortality of ancient jade artifacts, the subject is the continuity of Taoist symbols. The article is intended to expand knowledge in this direction. The author gives an idea of the metaphysical system of jade culture, at the same time considering Taoism from the point of view of metaphysics, as well as religion and an indispensable attribute of everyday life. Based on the analysis of 20 jade artifacts, the main characteristics of the symbols of Taoist immortality were revealed. The author comes to the conclusion that the theme of Taoist immortality, expressed in jade artifacts, accompanied the evolutionary process of inheritance, continuation, change and universal life and in a certain way influenced it. In different historical periods, people understand the Taoist thought of immortality in different ways, use different practices in different ways, regulate jade mining, so in different historical periods for Taoism, jade culture is a different form, reflecting the aesthetics of the characteristics of the ancient Chinese era and the pursuit of eternal thought and continuation of Taoism. The conclusions are discussed in three aspects: 1) the embodiment of the metaphysical worldview system of Taoism using the theme of "eternal life" and "immortality" in popular culture; 2) the embodiment of the metaphysical system of the ideology of jade culture; 3) takes into account the analysis of the continuation and change of the process of mutual integration of Taoist and jade culture. Thus, from the perspective of man and soul, the universality of the continuation of Taoism in jade can be clarified in order to fill the academic gap in this field.

Corrigendum: Progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient China from the perspective of isotopes

CORRECTION article Front. Earth Sci., 04 January 2023Sec. Quaternary Science, Geomorphology and Paleoenvironment Volume 10 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.1123119

Nondestructive Nonlinear Optical Microscopy Revealed the Blackening Mechanism of Ancient Chinese Jades.

Jade is most valued in Chinese culture since ancient times. For unearthed jade artifacts, the alteration color resulting from weathering effects and human activities provides information for cultural heritage conservation, archaeology, and history. Currently, the noninvasive 3-dimensional characterization of jade artifacts with high chemical and spatial resolution remains challenging. In this work, we applied femtosecond pump-probe microscopy and second harmonic generation microscopy techniques to study the black alteration of an ancient jade artifact of the late Spring and Autumn period (546 to 476 BC). The direct cause of the "mercury alteration" phenomena was discovered to be the conversion of metacinnabar from buried cinnabar in the tomb. Furthermore, a 3-dimensional optical reconstruction of the black alteration was achieved, providing a high-resolution method for analyzing the blackening mechanism without the need of sample damage. Our approach opens up new opportunities to extract microscopic spatiochemical information for a broad range of alteration colors in jade artifacts.

TWO LATE CLASSIC ROYAL BURIALS FROM BUENAVISTA DEL CAYO, BELIZE

We describe two Late Classic royal tombs excavated by the Mopan Valley Archaeological Project at Buenavista del Cayo. Feature 385-6, excavated in 2018, was located in Structure 3c and dates to around AD 600. The large masonry tomb contained an individual laid to rest on an elevated wooden bier, accompanied by 19 ceramic vessels, obsidian and stingray spine bloodletters, a mirrored headdress, and a jade bead. Among the more remarkable findings in the tomb were hundreds of desiccated popcorn kernels and two pyrite mirrors, one with Teotihuacan-style painting. Feature 385-30 is another masonry tomb, excavated in 2019 in Structure 3b. Dating to the late 7th century AD, this tomb contained an adult individual wrapped in textiles, accompanied by two jade artifacts and 27 ceramic vessels, some of which were elaborately painted. Of particular note, two parallel rows of chert lithics were found immediately under the body: a row of five very fine, large bifacial axes, and a row of nine eccentrics. Three additional eccentrics were found near the head. These tombs indicate that the line of kings that was established at Buenavista by at least ca. AD 450 reigned for at least two centuries.

Carving an Origin for Mexico's Ancient Cultures: Jade Artifacts and the Question of their Provenance in 19th-Century Science

Carving an Origin for Mexico's Ancient Cultures: Jade Artifacts and the Question of their Provenance in 19th-Century Science

Communities and Social Dynamics: A Comparative Analysis of Settlement Systems in the Yuxi Valley and Northeastern China

Comparative studies of the development of larger-scale social formation often promote our understanding of the internal dynamics of social change. Hongshan societies in northeastern China and Lingjiatan societies in the Yuxi valley of the lower reaches of Yangzi River represent the scopes and various forms that can be taken by early hierarchical societies. Similarities in the shape, function, and symbolic meaning of jade artifacts of Lingjiatan and Hongshan have long been discussed in comparative studies, but the communities and social dynamics of the two archaeological cultures within the larger regional areas they occupied have yet to be compared. The research reported here conducted comparative exploration of social trajectories across four regions—Yuxi in the lower reaches of the Yangzi River and Chifeng, Upper Daling, and Niuheliang in northeastern China—from the Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age. Our comparison reveals the similarities and differences in patterns of settlement and demographies across the four regions and provides some insights into research questions that need to be answered in future.

Progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient China from the perspective of isotopes

The use of isotopes is crucial for understanding the origin of jade/nephrite. This article first contrasts recent studies on the radioisotopes and stable isotopes of contemporary nephrite deposits in China, Baikal region, and South Korean Peninsula. It then reviews the isotopic analysis of the sources of nephrite artifacts in ancient China, highlighting the concentration of contemporary nephrite deposits with distinct isotopic fingerprints in three significant geographic areas, Northeast Asia, the Yellow River Basin, and South China Region. That is, with regard to Northeast Asia, S‐type and D‐type nephrite in Baikal region, and D‐type nephrite in Chuncheon of South Korea as well as Xiuyan and Kuandian of Liaoning Province can be distinguished well by the radioisotope mineralization age and hydrogen and oxygen isotopic values; with regard to the Upper Yellow River, the isotope method of hydrogen, oxygen and silicon isotopic values has the potential to distinguish the D-type and S-type nephrite in Xinjiang Province and Qinghai Province, while cannot distinguish the D-type nephrite from Hetian, Xinjiang Province and Lintao/Maxianshan, Gansu Province; with regard to South China, the isotope method of the radioisotope mineralization age and hydrogen and oxygen isotopic values has the potential to distinguish D-type nephrite from Fugong in Yunnan Province, Dahua in Guangxi Province and Luodian in Guizhou Province, and S-type nephrite in Hualian, Chinese Taiwan. It is recommended that isotopic database of jade materials from more deposits and excavated jadewares must be established, in order to answer significant archaeological questions regarding the role of jade material utilization in the origin, formation and development of Chinese jade culture and Chinese civilization.

Initial insights into ceramic production and exchange at the early Bronze Age citadel at Shimao, Shaanxi, China

Over the last decade, excavations at the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age site of Shimao in northern Shaanxi Province have transformed our understanding of the archaeology of early China. What was previously seen as an area that was peripheral to the development of early dynastic centers in northern China is now being heralded by some scholars as a precursor of Chinese civilization. However, despite incredible finds of large-scale stone architecture, bronze working, thousands of jade artifacts, and elaborate stone carvings, our overall understanding of the economic and political organization of the inhabitants of Shimao is still very limited. In this study we examine the most common artifact class at the site, pottery, using petrographic analysis, in order to explore production methods as well as potential production organization and exchange. As our results demonstrate, most of the pottery used at Shimao was likely produced locally, potentially by multiple production groups at or near the site, but the ceramics were not particularly standardized in regard to paste recipes. These results likely reflect that ceramic production was not tightly controlled or formalized, but instead took place in local households or workshops, much like ceramic production in many other parts of northern China at the time.

Complex raw materials and the supply system: Mineralogical and geochemical study of the jade artefacts of the Longshan Culture (2400–2000 bce) from Sujiacun site in coastal Shandong, China

X‐ray fluorescence (XRF), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy were employed to analyse the chemical compositions and phase structures of nine pieces of jade artefacts unearthed from Sujiacun, a Longshan Culture (2400–2000 bce) site in coastal Shandong, eastern China. The results of the analyses indicated these samples were primarily made from multiple raw mineral materials, including antigorite, actinolite, clinochlore, turquoise and muscovite. No nephrite was recovered from the Sujiacun site. This is strikingly different from other top‐ranking settlements of Longshan Culture, such as Dantu, Liangchengzhen and Xizhufeng, in which nephrite was the main material of jade artefacts. This may reflect the distinctions in the supply system of jade raw materials among different rankings of Longshan period sites. In addition, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) was used to analyse the composition of the rare earth elements of serpentine jade. These preliminary results were compared with published data on the composition of serpentine jade and it was found that the Sujiacun serpentine jade artefacts were likely sourced from the Taishan jade deposit.

The Ancient Jade Mine Discovered in Dunhuang Hanxia of Northern Gansu Province: A Potential Important Source of Jade Material in Early Stage of China

The discovery of ancient jade mining sites is of great value for the confirmation of the origin of jade artifacts unearthed from archaeological sites. Dunhuang Hanxia ancient jade mining site is located in the southeast of Dunhuang city, and was discovered by the research team of Gansu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the School of Earth Science and Engineering of Sun Yat-sen University jointly under the guidance of local amateur in September 2015. In the same year, 145 remains related to various types of mining on the ground were identified in Hanxia. The formal research supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China on Dunhuang ancient jade mine and jade material transmission have been carried out since 2016. The site was officially excavated by the Gansu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in 2019. According to the dating of carbon isotope and cultural types of pottery, the earliest mining age of the site is confirmed to be 4 000 years ago. Based on the research with the scattered jade materials near the mine and the excavation jade materials, the main jade material of Hanxia jade mining sites in Dunhuang is nephrite, which can be divided into primary jade and Gobi material by their occurrence, and can be further grouped into white jade, green-white / yellow-white jade and other types by colour. According to the relationship between the occurrence of the mineralization and magmatic rocks, we confirm that the ancient jade deposits belong to the genesis of contact metasomatism. The jade materials can also be split into two types, i.e. metasomatic replacement jade material(R- type)and hydrothermal precipitation material(P-type). Initial evidence shows that in the late Neolithic period, the jade materials from the ancient jade mining (sites) in Northern Gansu Province entered the Central Plains of China and indicates that Mazongshan and Dunhuang Hanxia ancient jade deposits in Northern Gansu Province are potential important sources of jade materials in early stage of China.

Nondestructive analysis of alterations of Chinese jade artifacts from Jinsha, Sichuan Province, China

Jade, which is one of the most characteristic materials constituting Chinese artifacts, signifies cultural differences between ancient Chinese and western civilizations. One of the most important typical characteristics of ancient jade artifacts recovered through archeological excavations is color alterations due to human activity and natural weathering, which has led to an area of intensive research in archeology. “Alteration” refers to chemical component and structural changes in jade artifacts caused by human activity and natural weathering, which is different from the term in geology. In this study, Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze six color alterations on ancient jade artifacts unearthed from the Jinsha Site in Sichuan Province, a region famous for artifacts with colorful alterations. The colorful alterations were observed to originate from corrosion products of bronzeware. The green, black, yellow, blue, purple, and white alterations were due to malachite, tenorite, pyromorphite, azurite, diaboleite, and cassiterite, respectively. Meanwhile, organic matter and hypertoxic arsenolite were first found on ancient jade artifacts.

An Understanding of Niuheliang Tombs with Jade Artefacts in Hongshan Culture

An Understanding of Niuheliang Tombs with Jade Artefacts in Hongshan Culture

A study on Chinese ancient jades with mercury alteration unearthed from Lizhou\u2019ao Tomb

“Alteration” geologically refers to chemical composition and/or structural changes of minerals under the influences of hydrothermal fluids, surface water, seawater, or other environmental conditions. In this paper, we use the word “alteration” to refer to chemical component and structural changes in jade artifacts caused by human activity and natural weathering, which is different from the term in geology. “Mercury alteration”, a kind of black alteration related to Hg, is unique among the several types of alteration that occur in Chinese ancient jades. Mercury alteration often appears on ancient jade artifacts unearthed from high-grade tombs of the pre-Qin period (before 221 B.C.). Therefore, ancient jades with mercury alteration have attracted substantial attention from Chinese archaeologists. This paper reports the use of materials analytic techniques to study such ancient jade fragments. The studied jade samples date to the middle and late periods of the Spring and Autumn Period (~500 B.C.) and were unearthed from Lizhou’ao Tomb in Jiangxi Province, China. Structural analyses revealed the internal microstructure of the ancient jade fragments and the microdistribution of the mercury alteration. The jade fragments exhibit typical characteristics of round holes and structural hierarchy, which imply that the jades were heated before burial. The black alteration on these jade samples was found to be rich in Hg. The results of this study will be widely useful in the study of ancient jade artifacts and jade culture in Chinese archeology.

Clasificación estilística de los “dioses-hacha” y sus aspectos funcionales: un análisis de materiales realizado con la colección del Museo del Jade, Costa Rica

In this study, we focus on the “axe-god” jade pendants, which dominate the large part of jade artifacts in Costa Rica. These pendants are known that the denomination is not by means of its function as real axes, but its axe-like shape. However, the author thinks that there is a possibility that some of them had been used as tools before or after being reworked for the pendants. The stylistic classification in this study aims to elucidate the functional aspects of the pendants, focusing on their size and shape, then combines these factors with motives. To support the hypothesis of the practical usage of the pendants, detailed analyses with a digital microscope are conducted to see the possible use-wear.

HISTORICAL STAGES OF CHINA JADE CULTURE. THE EPOCH OF “HOLY JADE”

The article discusses the emergence and formation of the pearl of Chinese jade culture – the “Holy Jade” or “Jade God” epoch. On the example of the archaeological jade artifacts of Xinglong, Kunshan, Lingjiatan and Liangzhu cultures, the dynamics of the development of jade processing technologies and the growing role of religious jade objects in Chinese culture are shown. The “Holy Jade” with an engraved deep pattern of the ancient inhabitants of China was given a mysterious religious significance. Jade symbolised faith in God and created the necessary entourage to communicate with Heaven. A variety of jade artifacts were symbols of human status in ancient Chinese society, accompanied him in the afterlife. The epoch of “Holy Jade” laid the foundation for the development of all the jade culture of China, gave an impetus to the improvement of processing technologies of this mineral of delicate colour.