SUN Yinuo ¹, LI Jinwei ^{1, 2}, PAN Lichuan ³, NIE Yourongtian ¹

(1. Research Center of Ancient Ceramic, Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen 333001, Jiangxi, China; 2. Jiangxi Ceramic Heritage Conservation and Imperial Kiln Research Collaborative Innovation Center, Jingdezhen 333001, Jiangxi, China; 3. State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guizhou 550081, Guiyang, China)

Extended abstract:[Significance] At present, scientific research on ancient ceramics mainly focuses on aspects such as material sources, manufacturing techniques, chronology, burial and preservation conditions. Among these, determining the types of ceramic raw materials and their places of origin is of utmost importance. Since the raw materials for ancient porcelain production were all naturally-formed minerals and rocks in nature, which are closely related to geoscience, the research methods of geoscience have also been widely applied to the field of ceramic archaeology. In recent years, due to the rapid development of mass spectrometry technology, especially the extensive use of multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, a series of analytical methods for isotope systems have been successively established. Scholars at home and abroad have gradually become aware of the tracer applications of some isotope systems to the raw materials, origins, and manufacturing processes of ancient ceramics, and have carried out useful experiments and explorations. The basic concept of the cross-application of isotope tracing in the scientific archaeology of ceramics is to compare the isotope composition of ancient ceramics with that of the geological bodies of the raw materials, so as to identify the sources or compositions of the raw materials.[Progress] Sr isotope ratio analysis is primarily employed for tracing the origin of ancient ceramics. It aids in uncovering the geographical origin of ceramic raw materials and their technological features. Simultaneously, it also plays a significant role in researching ancient glazing techniques and raw material compositions. Pb isotope analysis, through the study of the body of lead-glazed pottery, offers further information regarding the origin of ancient ceramics and their production techniques. Ca isotope tracing technology is relatively novel in the realm of ancient ceramic research, yet it has gradually started to be applied to the study of glazing raw materials and their proportions, assisting in revealing the mineral sources and their chemical characteristics utilized in the ceramic-making process. With the continuous deepening of relevant research, some scholars have also adopted a multi-isotope analysis method combining Sr isotopes with Nd isotopes and Pb isotopes to study the origin of ancient ceramics and the composition of glaze formulas. Besides the common Sr and Pb isotopes, there are also sporadic studies in ceramic archaeology applying some other isotopes. For instance, δ13C and δ8O values are used as supplements to explore the types and sources of tempering materials in the pottery-making process. The application of isotopes of new elements has opened up entirely new perspectives for ceramic archaeology. By precisely applying different isotope systems to the level of raw material sources, the origin of the body and glaze of ancient ceramics can be accurately pinpointed based on isotope characteristics, thus clarifying the resource distribution of ancient ceramic production.[Conclusions and prospects] With the continuous advancement of isotope analysis technology, methods combining multiple isotope systems have emerged to study the origin of ancient ceramics and the composition of glaze formulas. The precision and accuracy of such methods will be further enhanced, holding the promise of determining the origin of ceramics and their glaze formulas with even greater precision. In the future, with the continuous advancement of isotope analysis techniques, the combined application of multi-isotope systems, and the development of non-/micro-destructive testing methods, it is expected that the origin of ceramics and the glaze formulas can be determined more precisely. This will provide a more reliable basis for studying ancient ceramic trade and cultural exchanges. At the same time, it will also contribute to the restoration of the entire process of ancient porcelain-making techniques.

Key words: isotopic tracing; ancient ceramic; archaeometry; provenance of raw materials; glaze-making technique