Sourcing the interaction networks in Neolithic coastal China: a geochemical study of the Tianluoshan stone adzes

摘要

Using geochemical techniques such as XRF, ICP-MS, and Sr-Nd isotope analysis, we conducted a sourcing study of the stone adzes of Tianluoshan (ca. 5000-7000 BP), an early Neolithic waterlogged site in Zhejiang Province, eastern China. The result demonstrates that about one-third of the lithic raw materials came from places of at least 50 km away, suggesting the existence of a long distance interaction network. Because Tianluoshan was located on the ancient coast, this result also has implications for studying the early Neolithic seafaring in China.