PIXE and FCA study on the provenance of proto-porcelain of Xia and Shang Dynasty unearthed from Erlitou and Yinxu sites, China

For a long time, due to no finding of kiln site, there has always been controversy over the provenance of protoporcelain unearthed in Northern China. Here, PIXE was used to determine the chemical compositions of protoporcelain of Xia and Shang Dynasty unearthed from Erlitou and Yinxu sites as well as the kiln sites in Zhejiang Province. Compared with the samples from kilns, the provenance of proto-porcelain from Erlitou and Yinxu was studied by the self-developed FCA program. It is found that proto-porcelain of Xia Dynasty unearthed from Erlitou might not origin from Piaoshan kiln in Zhejiang, and that only a small part of proto-porcelain of Shang Dynasty unearthed from Yinxu might come from Huzhou and Deqing in Zhejiang, while the vast majority should have other sources. It provided a new and reliable analytical method for studying the provenance of ancient ceramics.