A Functional Study of 'jiandiping' (Pointed base) Amphorae

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Technology and Design in 4th and 3rd Millennium BCE China" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

There have been many debates on the function of jiandiping (or pointed base) amphorae of the Yangshao Culture in the Wei River valley. Although analyses of plant residue suggested that the amphorae might have been used as wine vessels, their function and the usage are still in doubt. Based on the observations of typological characteristics and the production technology, this paper investigates the functional significance of the morphological structure of the jiandiping amphorae from the perspective of design. The main function of the pointed bottom is to separate by precipitation, but the narrow mouth is not suitable for the fermentation of cereals, contrasting with the wine brewing process in which fermentation and precipitation taking place simultaneously. In addition, the specific functions and usage of the large and medium-sized amphorae are different, while the double handles on amphorae of different sizes also show variation. The large amphorae were inconvenient for transportation, but suitable for long-term storage in an environment with consistent humidity and temperature. The smaller ones were used at feasting or sacrificing events, usually forming a set with the similarly shaped flat-bottomed bottles. Once the more convenient precipitation technique emerged, the inconvenient pointed-bottom structure was replaced.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Technology and Design in 4th and 3rd Millennium BCE China   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25103