The Archaeological Studies On The Proto-Porcelain In Han In The Northern Region Of China

The concept of the proto-porcelain is not long, and the academia is still controversial in understanding it. Physical properties and chemical composition of the proto-porcelain can be clearly distinguished from pottery, low temperature glazed pottery and others. The current academic studies on the proto-porcelain are much more on that of pre-Qin periods than that of in Han dynasty. On the basis of the collection of the proto-porcelain in the vast northern region of the Yangtze River in China, the thesis attempted to find the law of its development and evolution by the methods of archaeological typology and cultural elements analysis.The first chapter was the introduction about the concept of the proto-porcelain and the current research situation, so as to clarify the significance of the studying on the proto-porcelain in Han. The proto-porcelain has its unique physical properties and chemical composition. Through the studies of some scholars’ research results on the understanding of the proto-porcelain, the thesis defined the scope, region and the times, also illustrates the research methods.The proto-porcelain unearthed in the northern region of China were classified and discussed in the second chapter. A total of 476 pieces of the proto-porcelain were collected according to the published data mainly including the types of ding-tripod, cans, pot, pou-urn, jars, fang-pot, etc. All kinds of artifacts were typed into groups and determined the range of time according to the times of the burials where the proto-porcelain were unearthed and the times of similar objects in the surrounding area.The third chapter analyzed the influence on proto-porcelain in Han in the northern region by the cultural elements of the lower reach of the Yangtze River, the middle reach of the Yangtze River and the Lingnan region(the area to the south of the Five Ridges).The categories belonging to the lower reach of the Yangtze River were in the governing position. The diffusion of the proto-porcelain wares of the mid reach of the Yangtze River cultural system into the north region began at the mid Eastern Han Dynasty. The diffusion of the proto-porcelain wares of the Lingnan region was only an individual phenomenon. Also the chapter discussed the distribution of the proto-porcelain in the various stages of the development in the Han Dynasty, and analyzed the reasons. Because of the regional regime, the proto-porcelain limited distribution in Anhui province and north of Jiangsu province in the early Western Han Dynasty. Thanks to the Western Han Dynasty political unity, in the later periods of the Western Han Dynasty the diffusion of the proto-porcelain wares of the lower reach of the Yangtze River cultural system to the north region spread quickly by three routes and declined at the end of Western Han Dynasty. The reasons were production difficulties, marginalization from the low temperature glazed pottery and the proto-porcelain wares of the middle reach of the Yangtze River. The population flow had a certain influence on the distribution of the proto-porcelain in the northern region.The fourth chapter was the summary of the previous thesis, which made it clear that the confusion of the proto-porcelain caused the difficulty of identifying and collecting materials. Combined with the materials used in the thesis, the studies of the proto-porcelain in Han helped to determine the times of burials with the funerary proto-porcelain.