Technical typological analysis of Neolithic ceramics from PRC: some of results

Researches divide three technological jumps in pottery during the Neolithic: at the early, middle and late stages. This study proposes the brief description of ceramics from Northwestern, Northeastern, Eastern, Southeastern and Southern China, based on the main attributes of technical typological analysis. Stiff high-sand clay was the main type of raw material in Early Neolithic. Second stage of Early Neolithic was marked by items made of white clay with nonnatural inclusions of coal or rise grains in southern cultures during the second stage of Early Neolithic. Three molding processes is fixed in Early and Middle Neolithic: from the entire lamp of clay, by spiral-braidlike sticking on or on the form-basis. Middle Paleolithic is the golden age of painted glazed ceramics. Pottery spin wheel have appeared in the Middle and Late Neolithic. By the same time it was registered the appearance of combined modes in the use of various molding processes in the single vessel. For example, the body of tripod-vessel was formed on the pottery wheel, but legs were made by applying form-models. The Late Neolithic technological development rang up black thick-walled pottery, made of washed homogenous high-plasticity clay. Low-temperature open-fire baking is peculiar to China for a long time. Early stage is characterized by open-fire oxidizing burning, as well as late stage by reducing firing. The most significant technological changes had emerged of all Late Paleolithic - the time of the most progressive technological jump in ancient pottery development in China.