Identification of Potassium‐Rich Faience From Spring and Autumn Period Cemeteries in Shaan'xi Province, China

ABSTRACT This article presents the results of scientific analyses of 12 potassium‐rich faience beads dating to the Spring & Autumn period from the Liu Jiawa cemetery and Liang Daicun cemetery in Shaan'xi Province by conducting X‐ray fluorescence and SEM‐EDS analyses. The chemical compositions showed that these samples were all potassium‐rich silicate products. The chemical compositions on the surface were different from that in the interparticle glass, which was probably due to the weathering on the surface. Moreover, this analysis identified that this potassium‐rich producing technology has a certain inheritance from the Western Zhou Dynasty (11 th –8 th century bc ) to the Spring and Autumn Period (8 th –5 th century bc ) and the fixed technology formulation and production procedures of making this kind of product had already formed in Rui State (a small kingdom appointed by the royalty in 11 th century bc and demised in 7 th century bc ).