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Headwear research is an integral part of costume study, which is regarded as a cultural symbol of human society. In China, the lining of Futou (Chinese traditional male headwear) is called as Jinzi, whose production information is little known. This paper focuses on the analysis of materials and manufacture of Jinzi, found in Astana Cemeteries (dated from about the 3rd to the 9th centuries C.E.), Turpan Basin, Xinjiang, China. The fibers of Jinzi were identified by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), Light Microscope Examination and Drying-Twist Test; while the black pigment was characterized through Raman Spectroscopy. Proteomics was conducted to analyze the proteinous glue. The results suggested that three Jinzi samples were made from flax mixed with ramie fibers, and one Jinzi sample was made from silk. All of them were painted with carbon black, and animal glue originated from bovine or caprinae was determined in two Jinzi samples. The different manufacture of Jinzi were probably related to the status of the occupiers of tombs. This is a unique report of the scientific analysis about traditional headwear in ancient Xinjiang. It is not only significant complement to the historical literature, but also the utilization of flax and ramie and the wearing of Jinzi shed light on the exchange of the species and culture in ancient Turpan area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faience is a kind of ancient ceramic product which was widely found in many areas. Chinese faience appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771BCE), about three thousand years later than western Asia. The sudden and late emergence of Chinese faience implies that its production technology may be influenced by the West. However, little information is known about how the faience productions spread from the West to central China. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, located in the northwestern part of China, is one of the most important areas of cultural exchanges between the East and the West since ancient times. The study of faience unearthed in Xinjiang is of great significance to explore the early trade and cultural exchanges between central China and the West. In this paper, Synchrotron Radiation Micro-CT (SR-μCT) and Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDXRF) have been applied to obtain the information of microstructure and chemical composition of faience beads excavated from Ya’er cemetery (1050-300BCE) in Hami Basin, The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. These faience beads are the earliest faience artifacts in China up to our knowledge and this is the first time to analyze the excavated faience in Xinjiang scientifically. Based on the microstructure of faience beads in CT slices, it is found that two glazing methods, direct application and efflorescence, were used in faience production. Additionally, a cylindrical core made of organic material sustained the faience bead during shaping and firing. According to EDXRF analysis, various glaze recipes have been used to produce these faience beads, possibly indicating different provenance. The characteristics of higher Na 2 O/K 2 O ratio of faience glaze showed that these faience beads might come from the West. Thus, it is suggested that there was a faience road from Western Asia through Xinjiang to central China about three thousand years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emergence and progress of composite tools in the Middle Stone Age, the adhesive became one of the most widely used materials by early human societies. However, the precise composition identification of adhesive in archaeological remains is a real analytical challenge, because the adhesive mainly consists of organic materials that are susceptible to decay during burial process. Of particular interest is to know which animal/plant species were being exploited for glue manufacturing other than for food. The arid climate of the Xiaohe Cemetery, located in Taklamakan Desert, northwestern China, provides favorable conditions for the preservation of organic residues. A bone sculpture-inlaid wooden artifact was collected from the Xiaohe Cemetery, with some semi-transparent yellowish adhesive exposed due to the detachment of an inlaid bone sculpture. In this paper, micro samples of the adhesive were scraped for FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, primary examination) and subsequent proteomic analysis to determine the proteinous component(s) and precise origin(s). The identified tryptic peptides match most closely to known bovine collagen markers, suggesting that this adhesive was an animal glue made from cattle. These results reveal the diverse utilizations of cattle in the Xiaohe Cemetery, which provided not only meat, milk, hides, sinews and dung, but also leftover parts for manufacturing adhesive. This is the earliest evidence of adhesive identified in China up to our knowledge, which sheds light on adhesive development around 3500 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ancient foodstuffs, including noodles, cakes, and common millet, were excavated from the Subeixi Cemeteries (cal. 500–300 years BC), Turpan District in Xinjiang, China. Starch grain and phytolith analyses were undertaken to identify the plant species involved. These indicate that the noodles and cakes were made from Panicum miliaceum. Ancient food preparation technologies were also investigated by cooking experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a special kind of glazed ceramic, faience has an important role to play in the technological trajectory that eventually leads to the development of ancient glass. In China, faience products first emerged in early Western Zhou Dynasty (1046BC–771BC), and their great significance as well as brilliant colors varying between blue and green attracted a lot of scholars. However, scientific researches on the color source of Chinese faience in view of microstructure characterization are quite few. In the present work, analyses by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) were carried out on two faience beads with relatively blue and green color, respectively, both of which were excavated from Peng State archaeological cemetery site in Western Zhou Dynasty. The results show that the coloring element in both beads is copper with +2 valence, and the color divergence of these two beads may originate from different local chemical environments of Cu 2+ . It is suggested that the faience in this period is the earliest glaze with copper colorant in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grass woven baskets is a famous feature of Gumugou cemetery (3800 BP), an early Bronze Age necropolis in Tarim basin, northwestern China. They were suggested to be used for storage of liquid foods, for example gruel, ephedra soup or milk, however this notion has not been supported by analytical facts. We applied comprehensive multi-technique analytical approach, including FT-IR, proteomics, GC–MS and starch grains analyses to characterize minute amount of dried organic film preserved on the inner surface of one of the Gumugou grass woven baskets. The analysis revealed the presence of Bovidae milk proteins and traces of lactic acid bacteria. Together with the relative abundance of detected caseins and whey proteins it suggested that the organic deposit in the woven basket was strained sour milk. No ephedra biomarkers or starch grains were found. The protein composition of Gumugou sample differed from solid dairy products recently discovered at the nearby Xiaohe Cemetery. We speculate that the alterations in local dairy technologies might be the result of two processes: climatic changes in the region of Tarim basin and admix of early European settlers with lactose-intolerant Eastern ethnic group. European ancestry of Gumugou inhabitants suggested that the milking practice in the Tarim region was promoted by the eastward migration of European population which was predominantly lactose–persistent. Xiaohe site (3600 BP) was inhabited by a West-East admixed community for whom solid dairy products became a dietary requirement that offered its inhabitants an advantage in better adaptation to the worsening climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]