Coalescence and the Spread of Glaze-Painted Pottery in the Central Rio Grande: The View from Tijeras Pueblo (LA581), New Mexico

The concept of coalescent communities has been widely used by North American archaeologists as a framework for understanding cultural responses to social upheaval. In this article we explore how the concept of coalescence helps us understand the processes that led to the emergence of aggregated settlements in the Albuquerque district of the central Rio Grande Valley around the turn of the fourteenth century. We argue that such communities emerged as strategic local responses to disruptive social and demographic trends on a macroregional scale. Specifically, we use NAA and petrographic sourcing of Western Pueblo- and Rio Grande-style glaze-painted pottery in conjunction with settlement data from the site of Tijeras Pueblo (LA581) to explore how the amalgamation of immigrant and autochthonous people, technology, knowledge, and ritual creatively and radically transformed local and regional practices of community and identity formation.

Early evidence for beer drinking in a 9000-year-old platform mound in southern China

Alcoholic beverages played an essential role in rituals in ancient societies. Here we report the first evidence for beer drinking in the context of burial ritual in early Holocene southern China. Recent archaeological investigations at Qiaotou (9,000–8,700 cal. BP) have revealed a platform mound containing human burials and high concentrations of painted pottery, encircled by a human-made ditch. By applying microfossil (starch, phytolith, and fungi) residue analysis on the pottery vessels, we found that some of the pots held beer made of rice (Oryza sp.), Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi), and USOs. We also discovered the earliest evidence for using mold saccharification-fermentation starter in beer making, predating written records by 8,000 years. The beer at Qiaotou was likely served in rituals to commemorate the burial of the dead. Ritualized drinking probably played an integrative role in maintaining social relationships, paving the way for the rise of complex farming societies four millennia later.

The tradition of pottery painting in the Upper Silesian-Lesser Polish regional group of the Lusatian culture in the Early Iron Age. The example of the cemetery at Dobrzeń Mały, Opole district.

The idea of covering pottery with polychrome ornaments adopted from the Greek art of the Late Geometric period spread to almost every corner of Early Iron Age Europe, including some areas in present-day Poland. Painted pottery was manufactured in Middle Silesia and southern Greater Poland. Finds of painted vessels are recorded also in Upper Silesia, and a smaller number still, in Lesser Poland. The presented paper addresses painted pottery identified with the Upper Silesian-Lesser Polish regional group of the Lusatian culture from settlement and funerary contexts (cremation and bi-ritual cemeteries). A closer look is taken at the previously unpublished finds of polychrome vessels from the cemetery at Dobrzeń Mały investigated during the 1970s. Their collection is now displayed and preserved in the Museum of Opole Silesia in Opole.

Artistic peculiarities of painted pottery of Majiayao culture

The relevance of this research stems from the desire of modern science to discover rare artifacts and unique cultural phenomena of different peoples. The artistic peculiarities of painted pottery of Majiayao period represent are a cultural phenomenon that draws attention of the scholars. The article aims to provide general characteristics to Majiayao period; recount about the emergence of Majiayao culture; describe the shape and decorative peculiarities of painted pottery of Majiayao culture.It is noted that Majiayao culture was also referred to as “Yangshao Culture of Gansu” and developed virtually in parallel with the Yangshao culture. However, there is proof that Majiayao culture emerged slightly later than the Yangshao culture. The article reveals the characteristic colors, shapes, and patterns of the ceramic of this period.Practical significance of this research lies in familiarizing the audience with the peculiarities of Majiayao culture, detailed description of the specifics of its painted pottery, and contributing to further research on the topic. The acquired materials are valuable for studying the theory and history of arts, as well as in the lectures on the visual art of China. The scientific novelty consists in comprehensive examination of the peculiarities of decorative and applied arts. Characteristic is given to the pottery works of Majiayao period, their varieties, evolution, functional features, which testifies to the traditional customs and acquaints with the exotic culture.

Non-invasive Optical Technical Identification of Red Pigments on Chinese Paper Notes

Red pigments with bright colors were widely used in ancient Chinese painted pottery, books, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings. Herein, red pigments of traditional paper notes were investigated by non-invasive optical technology in order to enrich the Chinese historical pigments knowledge base. The results of laser Raman spectroscopy tests on five paper notes clearly identified the inorganic mineral pigments including ocher and cinnabar. Infrared spectroscopy measurements indicated that an artificial synthetic magenta was employed as the organic pigment. Inorganic and organic red pigments were applied together on the same samples 2 and 5 which can be speculated to serve an anti-counterfeiting function. In addition, SEM-EDS analysis of sample 5 clearly showed that the red pigment was composed of lead oxides and ZnS was added as color modulator. Combined with the abovementioned non-invasive techniques, analysis of printed pigments can provide a feasible method to authenticate and conserve paper notes.

The Spread and Integration of Painted pottery Art along the Silk Road

The Silk Road is a product of the mutual exchange of material culture and spiritual culture among ancient China and other countries, regions, and nations. It is the result of the contact and collision between Eastern and Western civilizations. Historically, the Silk Road served as a bridge of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, closely linking ancient Chinese culture with the cultures of Central Asia, West Asia, and even ancient Siberian. In various areas along the Silk Road, all kinds of painted pottery art were integrated and developed.