Faience beads excavated from Laolongtou cemetery, Yanyuan: new evidence of the cultural exchange between the south-western and north-western parts of China

Ancient Chinese beads provide important evidence of cultural exchanges. This study used a scanning electron microscope with an energy-dispersive spectrometer to analyse the microstructure and chemical composition of faience beads excavated from Laolongtou cemetery in Yanyuan county, China. Based on the analysis results, two glazing methods (efflorescence and cementation) and two bead types (high-Pb and high-K beads) were identified. A comparison of the chemical compositions of samples unearthed at the Laolongtou cemetery and samples from north-western China indicated close regional contact. Bronze wares and burial customs in Laolongtou cemetery also revealed that the Yanyuan region might be a significant node in the Southern Silk Road between the south-western and north-western parts of China and even in Southeast Asia.