Early Ceramic Trade And Its Influence Factors During Late Neolithic In Gansu-qinghai Region

Scholarly interest in the long-distance culture communication and agriculture transmission between communities living in different parts of Eurasia during prehistoric period has grown in recent decades. This long-distance exchange was characterized by various elements, including crops, livestock, bronze vessels and potteries. Based on the strong archaeobotanical evidence of crop plants, research of the communication and broad about crops has been put forward a huge step in recent decades. Researchers can easily find indirect evidence about the transformation from crops to diets using the method of stable isotope analysis. The identification of animal bones and the method of stable isotope analysis can help scholars find out the use about the animal resources. Research the characteristic about ware is a good way to figure out the exchange of bronze vessels and potteries. Although a number of disciplines have made valuable contributions to the understanding of Tran-Eurasian exchange in prehistory, there still have a few questions about Tran-Eurasian exchange in prehistory. For example, how these long-distance exchanges happened? What kind of factors could influence the exchange? How the exchanges affect the cultural revolution in different part of Eurasia? Solution of these questions can help to understand the cultural communication and agriculture transmission between the east and west. It is also useful to promote the national strategy of “One Belt and One Road”.Therefore, Gansu-Qinghai region was chose to study the relate questions about the intercontinental exchanges. The study area is located in the western part of the Loess Plateau and the northeastern margin of the Tibet plateau in northwest China. And it is the easternmost part of the Ancient Silk Road. Gansu-Qinghai region is a sensitive area about the culture communication. In this dissertation, 176 fragments of potsherds(including 58 fragments of coarse potsherds and 118 fragments of clay potsherds) were collected from 83 late Yangshao(5500-4900 BP), Majiayao(5300-4800 BP), Qijia(4300-3600 BP) and Siwa(3400-2600 BP) archaeological sites in eastern Gansu province and northeastern Qinghai province. Coarse potsherds include 28 pieces from the late Yangshao period, 21 early Qijia cultural pieces, and 9 pieces from Siwa cultural sites. Pottery potsherds include 29 pieces from the late Yangshao period, 28 early Majiayao cultural pieces, and 61 pieces from Qijia cultural sites. The XRF spectroscopy assembly is used to detect the major, minor and trace element composition of the potsherds. The elemental composition of Red clay and loess from Gansu and Qinghai Provinces is also examined and compared with that of pottery clay to discuss the raw material of potteries. The elemental composition of coarse potsherds are use to discuss how temper affect the elemental composition of coarse potteries among different cultural period. Then early possible exchange of ceramics and influence factors about early pottery exchange are studied by research of clay potsherds. The main results and conclusions are list below:(1) The temper has different influences on elemental composition of coarse potteries in Gansu province. The influence of temper in late Yangshao potsherds is open and shut, whereas it becomes intricacy during Qijia and Siwa periods. These indicate that late Yangshao people chose simplex temper to potting in late Yangshao period, whereas the Qijia and Siwa people had more various chosen of tempers when potting.(2) Red clay is the main raw material of Ceramics in Gansu-Qinghai region.(3) Potsherds with high elemental concentrations of Ca and Mg may well be the pervasive characteristic during the Prehistoric period in Gansu-Qinghai region.(4) Ceramics of the late Yangshao culture in eastern Gansu and early Majiayao culture in northeastern Qinghai were independently made of local red clay. However, during the Qijia period the situation changed, and we find Gansu potsherd in Qinghai and also Qinghai potsherd in Gansu. That suggests some inter-regional exchange, specifically from 4400 a BP onwards.(5) Intercontinental culture communication was the most important factor contributing to subsistence exchange in late prehistory. In addition, climate change could have played an important role in this process.This research applies methods of natural science to Archaeology study. We discuss scientifically the early possible ceramic exchange and its influence factors between two areas. Results and conclusions not only useful to understand late Neolithic and Bronze Age culture communication in different parts of Gansu-Qinghai region, but also helpful to explore long-distance culture communication and the relationship refers to climate change between communities living in different parts of Eurasia during prehistoric period.