Characterization of Neolithic Jade Objects from Shimao and Xinhua, Shaanxi Province, China, Using Handheld Portable Techniques

Summary

50 jade objects from the Late Longshan period, excavated from the Shimao (25) and Xinhua (25) Neolithic sites, were characterized mineral groups using handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (hhXRF) and handheld specular reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (hhFTIR). The objects were found to belong to three types of minerals. 22 objects found in Shimao (88%) are nephrite (19 tremolites and 3 actinolites), two are calcite and one antigorite. From Xinhua, 9 objects (36 %) are nephrite (tremolites), 14 are antigorites, one is calcite, and one chlorite. The higher percentage of nephrite jades found in Shimao confirms its high status and affluence. The minerals were classified into subgroups using HHXRF. All Shimao nephrites, and all but one from Xinhua, are D-type nephrites. Only one Xinhua nephrite is an S-type nephrite. Based on R* values, the D-type nephrites were divided into four groups. The largest group (R*: 0.980 to 0.995) includes 8 nephrites from Xinhua and 14 nephrites from Shimao, indicating possible common geological origins. The Xinhua antigorites were classified into three groupings based on Ni, Cr and Al content. These results can be used to build a database of jade objects from the Late Longshan culture to help establish the origin of undocumented jades.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• From Foragers to Frontiers: Recent Research on the Archaeology of the Ordos Region, China   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15867