Ceramic Manufacturing and Development of Social Complexity in the Neolithic Linfen Basin, China

Archaeological surveys and excavations indicate that during the Late Neolithic Age, the Linfen Basin featured a multi-tiered settlement hierarchy centered in Taosi. This study focuses on the pottery artifacts in the Linfen Basin, aiming to explore the relationship between pottery production and the development of social complexity in the middle reaches of the Yellow River Basin. We analyzed 109 pottery sherds collected from the Linfen Basin using XRF and inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Analysis of major and trace elements indicated that the pottery artifacts were made from similar raw materials, suggesting that a specific clay source was shared by multiple sites in the Linfen Basin during the Late Neolithic Age. We speculate that pottery production was organized within a moderately centralized system during this period. Following the development of social complexity during the Late Neolithic Age, a centralized regulatory system of resource distribution was likely established in the Linfen Basin.