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Tracking Proto-Porcelain Production and Consumption in the Dongjiang Valley of Bronze Age Lingnan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2019

Michèle H.S. Demandt
Michèle H.S. Demandt*
Affiliation:
History DepartmentJinan UniversityGuangzhou PRC Email: m_demandt@outlook.com
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Abstract

During the Early-Middle Bronze Age, a new package of technological knowledge, including high-fired ‘proto-porcelain’ products and specialized ‘dragon’ kilns, entered Lingnan in South China from neighbouring cultures. This enabled the first local production of proto-porcelain in Bronze Age communities of Guangdong province that later became concentrated in ceramic workshops in the Dongjiang valley. Through a holistic approach towards ceramic production and consumption that integrates elements of functionalist and social perspectives, this study will explore the technological and socio-political conditions underlying the value creation and consequent social usage of proto-porcelain. It will be argued that proto-porcelain was a suitable medium for the simultaneous expression of different social roles that might have included its use as serving ware in community rituals as well as its involvement in politico-economic strategies of elite groups.

Type
Research Article
Information
Cambridge Archaeological Journal , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , November 2019 , pp. 671 - 689
Copyright
Copyright © McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research 2019 

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