Neolithic burial pottery from the Jiaojia site, China: A multi‐analytical study.

The present study focuses on middle and late Dawenkou Culture burial pottery—cookware, drinking ware, and tableware—recently unearthed from the Jiaojia site. Through the application of X‐ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD), we have revealed for the first time that the compositional difference of Jiaojia burial pottery is related to the category and function of wares. Calcium‐poor clay was used for cookware and tableware, whereas calcium‐rich clay was used for drinking ware. The pottery body's mineralogical assemblage and chemical composition results point to the careful selection and preparation of raw materials and oxidizing fire temperatures between 750 and 950°C. In most cases, the temperatures used for firing drinking ware were generally higher than those used for firing tableware and cookware. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]