A Geochemical Study of Pottery Production in the Jungdo Culture: Hard Plain Pottery and Paddled Pottery

This study investigates the production and specialization of Hard Plain Pottery (Gyeongjilmumun pottery) and Paddled Pottery (Tanalmun pottery) excavated from settlement sites in the Jungdo culture through geochemical analysis. Previous studies, based on technological differences, have assumed that the two types of pottery were produced by different potters in separate workshops, and have discussed the introduction of the wheel-paddling technique as evidence of increased specialization. However, due to the absence of excavated production facilities, these hypotheses have not been rigorously tested, and research on pottery production in this region has remained limited. By analyzing the geochemical composition of clay bodies using pXRF, this study compares differences in raw materials and the degree of standardization between the two pottery types on a site-by- site basis. The results reveal that in some sites, clear compositional differences and varying degrees of specialization can be observed, while in others, the two types are geochemically indistinguishable and show no significant difference in the degree of specialization. These findings suggest that current interpretations of pottery production systems may rely on generalized, a priori assumptions, and that production and distribution strategies likely varied by site and region. To better understand these patterns, further geochemical and petrographic analyses are required, along with integrated consideration of site-specific assemblages and their political-economic contexts, and most importantly, archaeological investigations of production sites.