Sourcing the Accompanying Celadons from the Burial Complex of Ancient Xunyang City Site using EDXRF and LA-ICP-MS

Abstract This paper uses a combination of EDXRF and LA-ICP-MS to analyse the chemical components including major elements and REE composition of the accompanying celadon from four different periods of tomb at the Yutu Hill burial complex on the Xunyang city site for sourcing their provenance. A comparison with the chemical composition of the products from several kiln sites producing celadon revealed that burials from the Eastern Han period and the Tang dynasty included celadon from the Hongzhou kiln, indicating a 400-year-long trade relationship between the Xunyang city site and the Hongzhou kiln. In addition, the REE composition of the accompanying celadon in tombs from the Six Dynasties and the Sui dynasty is very similar to that of Yue kiln celadon, despite their strikingly different appearance and shape. This paper concludes, based on the previous distribution of Yue kiln products in the Jiangxi region, that only the upper classes collected Yue kiln products during the initial period of their entry into Jiangxi during the Jin dynasty, but that during the Sixth Dynasty, the commoner classes also began to collect Yue kiln products.