Black pottery production and distribution in the Late Neolithic Liangzhu Site Complex (2850–2600 BCE) in the Yangzi Delta (China): A multi-scalar ceramic analysis

Contrary to the long-held assumption that black pottery production during the Late Neolithic Liangzhu Site Complex (2850–2600 BCE) was tightly controlled by a centralized elite, this study reveals no clear evidence of standardized or specialized craftsmanship. Through multi-scalar analysis—combining macro-, meso-, and micro-level examinations of pottery—researchers found that black and non-black pottery shared equally diverse production traditions. Compositional data from portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and clustering analysis showed that compositional groups were distributed across multiple settlement zones, not concentrated in central locations, challenging the model of elite-controlled redistribution. This suggests a more decentralized and complex political economy than previously thought.

Wang, M., Chen, M., & Wang, N. (2026). Black pottery production and distribution in the Late Neolithic Liangzhu Site Complex (2850–2600 BCE) in the Yangzi Delta (China): A multi-scalar ceramic analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science, 194, 106682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2026.106682