Morphological standardization, ceramic specialization and dynamic political intervention: a case study from the Taosi site, China

Ceramic specialization is frequently associated with implications of social complexity, particularly in a stratified society, where the elite actively intervenes in ceramic consumption and production to achieve political goals. In previous studies, standardization was used as evidence for ceramic specialization and elite control, but the specific links are often oversimplified. This study has chosen the jars and dou excavated from the site of Taosi (2300–1900BC) to explore the possible link between elite intervention and ceramic production. This research investigates pottery standardization by analyzing shape variables with geometric morphometric analysis and size measurements by calculating the CV (coefficient of variation); by doing so, this study compares the degree of variation provided by elliptical Fourier analysis and shows how the morphological variation shows more standardization in elite ceramics, and differs from ceramics used by commoners during the increase of political power, whereas the jars have the opposite tendency, implying elite control. This result shows that the elite in Taosi society has combined different methods to control ceramic production: attached, specialized production and household tributes, contributing to a diverse and dynamic acknowledgement of the link between elite control and ceramic production in a stratified society.