Scientific Research on Terracotta Tiles From the Chengcun City Site of Han Dynasty, Wuyishan

ABSTRACT The Chengcun City Site of Han Dynasty, Wuyishan, represents the capital site of the Minyue Kingdom during the Western Han Dynasty in southeastern China. The excavated site yielded a large number of distinctive terracotta tiles, providing a crucial historical benchmark for the study of ancient Chinese architectural ceramics. To reveal the scientific and technological characteristics of these terracotta tiles, scientific testing was conducted using WD‐XRF, PLM, XRD, and DIL techniques, combined with analysis of the coefficient of variation results from key areas of the terracotta tiles. Results indicate that all terracotta tiles were crafted from locally sourced high‐alumina refractory clay. Eaves tile ends underwent repeated washing, resulting in a fine‐grained body. The diameter of the tile end face exhibits a low CV relative to the length and width of cylindrical tiles and flat tiles. Conversely, the thickness of the end face, tile body, and paving tiles shows a high CV. This indicates that craftsmen implemented relatively strict standardization for critical dimensions using molds. Thickness, however, primarily relied on the craftsmen's experience and techniques, without external measurement tools, reflecting lower standardization requirements. Overall, the sintering degree of eaves tile ends was inferior to that of cylindrical tiles, flat tiles, and paving tiles, though a few eaves tile ends exhibited similar sintering. Sintering degree is not the most critical performance indicator for eaves tile ends, likely due to their higher demand for plasticity.