EMERGENCE OF POTTERY IN THE NENJIANG RIVER BASIN (NORTHEAST CHINA) DURING THE EARLY NEOLITHIC: UNDERSTANDING THEIR USE THROUGH RESIDUES

International audienceSince the early 2000’s, archaeological excavations in the Nenjiang river basin have led tothe discovery of some of the oldest pottery assemblages in Northeast China, notably atthe sites of Houtaomuga and Shuangta (13.000 – 7.500 cal BP). These ceramics areimportant as they present the emergence of ceramic technology in the region. It hasbeen hypothesized that this is the result of a dietary shift which relies more on fishing.One way to approach this hypothesis and the issue of the relationship between potteryuse and changes in subsistence and food preparation methods is through the analysis oforganic residues trapped in these sherds. The research presented here examinesabsorbed lipid residues from 200 total pottery sherds from the Houtaomuga andShuangta sites to shed light on pottery use among hunter-gatherers in this region. Thesesamples come from Houtaomuga phase 1 through 4 and Shuangta Phase 1 and 2, in anattempt to understand pottery use over an extended period of site occupation. Residueshave been extracted from the sherds using a method that does not require the sherds tobe damaged and allows for more organics to be recovered. Extracts obtained have beensubsequently characterized and quantified using gas chromatography-massspectrometry (GC-MS). This paper will discuss the results of these analyses, focusing inparticular on what they can tell us about changes in subsistence and food preparationpractices over time