Use-wear and Standardization Analysis of Pottery from Dibaping, A Banshan Period Cemetery in Southern Gansu Province, China

Summary

Excavated in 1978, the cemetery at the site of Dibaping in southern Gansu Province, China revealed hundreds of Banshan period (2600-2300BC) ceramic vessels. The elaborately painted geometric motifs on many of the vessels led to them quickly being touted as an example of the pinnacle of artistic achievement in Neolithic northwestern China. Aside from typology, however, no other analyses have been done on these objects. The result is that little is known about how these vessels were created, the role that they played in mortuary practices, or even if they were used before being interred. This paper will present the results of recent use-wear and standardization analysis of these vessels and the effect these have on our understanding of their production, use, and deposition. These results will then be framed within our wider understanding of the benefits and limitations of use-wear and standardization analysis, and our current knowledge of Banshan period production and consumption practices.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Beyond Typology: Current Trends in Ceramic Analysis in China

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14315