From local to long-distance: Neolithic and Bronze Age ceramic networks in north-western China

During the Neolithic and Bronze Age, goods and ideas moved between Central Asia and the Chinese Central Plain via north-western China. While the crops, animals and technologies exchanged are well documented, the local and social bases of these interactions are poorly known. Here, the authors use petrographic analysis of ceramic sherds from Gansu Province, China, to document the local production of pottery vessels and their circulation between sites. Individual vessel forms are associated with multiple paste recipes indicating the production of similar products by different communities of practice. It is argued the circulation of these vessels forged intercommunity relationships. In aggregate, these local networks underpinned longer-distance exchange between Central and East Asia. Keywords: East Asia, Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, pottery production, communities of practice, exchange networks
Introduction During the Neolithic and Bronze Age, networks of interaction connected communities in Central Asia with those in East Asia. These networks were instrumental in facilitating the movement of goods [...]