Archaeometric characterization of pottery from the Houjiazhai site ( 7.3-5.7 ka BP), Anhui Province, China.

A combination of polarized light microscopy (PLM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), neutron activation analysis (NAA) and thermogravimetry (TG) was used on the pottery from the Houjiazhai site in Anhui, China. The analytical data demonstrate that the clay raw material of the Houjiazhai pottery clay was ordinary fusible clay. Phase I pottery consisted of shell-tempered pottery (with a high CaO content), plant-tempered pottery (with a high PO content), and sand-tempered pottery.