An Archaeometric Study of Longquanwu Kiln White Porcelain Excavated from the Jin Zhongdu Site

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the technological characteristics, kiln attribution, and circulation of Liao–Jin white porcelain recovered from urban archaeological sites in Beijing. Twenty-two white porcelain sherds from Liao–Jin stratigraphic contexts at the Caiyuan Street Site of Jin Zhongdu, Beijing, were examined using water-absorption testing and micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) analysis to characterize body densification and the chemical compositions of the ceramic bodies and glazes. The results indicate that the bodies were highly sintered and dense, with generally low water absorption ranging from 0.02% to 0.99%. The bodies exhibit the high-Al₂O₃/low-SiO₂ compositional signature typical of northern Chinese white porcelain and contain relatively high levels of the fluxes Na₂O and K₂O, suggesting the use of a kaolin–feldspar raw-material formulation. The glazes show considerable compositional diversity, including calcium, calcium–alkali, and alkali–calcium types; the occurrence of alkali–calcium glazes is interpreted as evidence of advances in glaze technology. Comparison with white porcelain excavated from the Longquanwu kiln site and with Ding kiln white porcelain of the Song–Jin period indicates that the Caiyuan Street assemblage was likely produced at the Longquanwu kiln. Its bodies are characterized by high Na₂O–K₂O, low MgO–CaO, high TiO₂, and low Fe₂O₃ contents, whereas the glazes are characterized by low Al₂O₃ and high Na₂O–K₂O contents. These results provide scientific evidence for the technological characteristics and provenance of Longquanwu kiln white porcelain and contribute to research on the urban archaeology of Jin Zhongdu and Liao-period ceramic trade.