Technological continuity and cultural adaptation: pottery production in the Fanchengdui culture of the Poyang Lake Plain (4800–4500 BP)

Abstract

This study provides the first analysis of Late Neolithic pottery production in the Poyang Lake Plain, situated between the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River. Through a chaîne opératoire framework, 31 pottery samples and 6 soil samples from the Guodishan Neolithic site (ca. 4800–4500 BP) were examined through ED-XRF, LA-ICP-AES, thin-section petrography, and FT-IR. Based on the analytical results of clay choices, paste preparation, forming, finishing, coating and firing processes, two distinct chaînes opératoires were reconstructed: one for fine, thin-walled stemmed bowls (dou) and another for coarse, thick-walled three-legged trays (sanzupan), both utilizing locally sourced clay and temper. Compared to the neighbouring Late Neolithic cultures, Guodishan demonstrates technological continuity through uniform resource use, hand-forming techniques, and low-temperature firing, aligning more closely with earlier regional traditions. This technological continuity likely reflects an adaptive strategy within the agricultural migrant communities of the Fanchengdui culture, offering new insights into the socio-technical dynamics of non-indigenous Neolithic populations in South China.