On Some Clues to Pottery Production in the Shierqiao Culture

Release time:2026-01-26 10:45Source:

  Abstract: The Shierqiao Culture developed a pottery production system corresponding to the hierarchy of its settlements. As the central settlement of this culture, the Jinsha Site contained a large cluster of pottery workshops in the north of the Modi River, which constituted the largest pottery production center in the Chengdu Plain and even the entire Sichuan Basin. This reflects the significant role of pottery production in both the settlement structure of Jinsha and the economic system of the Shierqiao Culture. In the sub-central settlement formed specialized pottery workshop zones, though on a much smaller scale than that of the central settlement. The pottery workshops in small settlements were the smallest and scattered around the Jinsha Site, which was similar to the density of small settlements in the Chengdu Plain. The production standardization of small flat-bottom jars was relatively higher, while that of pointed-bottom bowls and cups was relatively lower, which was possibly related to the production modes in different time and regions. The standardization of pottery production in the Chengdu Plain is slightly higher than that in the Xiajiang region of eastern Chongqing. In conclusion, pottery production in both central and sub-central settlements of the Shierqiao Culture likely reached a high level of standardization, with potters specialized in production, whereas the study of production modes of small workshops and the circulation of products among the settlements await further archaeological materials and sample analysis.