Studies on pottery bodies of Caoxieshan site during Majiabang-era and a preliminary exploration of tremolite

The Caoxieshan site (7000–2200 BP) is a significant settlement that spans the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in China’s Lower Yangtze region. This study focused on Majiabang-era (7000–6000 BP) pottery bodies, by using integrated archaeological analyses (petrography, XRF, XRD, SEM and EPMA analysis). Three paste recipes-clay, sand-tempered, and charcoal-tempered, were identified. Moreover, in the Majiabang pottery, we identified tremolite, China’s premier jade mineral. Previously, its use in pottery was believed to have first occurred during the Liangzhu culture (5300–4300 BP). The occurrence of tremolite-tempered pottery in areas devoid of native tremolite deposits suggests that raw materials might have been transported over long distances, pointing to the possible existence of a transportation network. Therefore, our findings not only reveal raw material selection strategies but also provide evidence for technological continuity between the Majiabang and Liangzhu cultures, suggesting shared knowledge systems in the prehistoric Lower Yangtze craft traditions.