From Technological Variation to Cultural Interaction Networks: A Case Study From the Huai River Valley in Neolithic China

ABSTRACT This study explores how ceramic technological choices mediated cultural diversity and social interaction at Jinzhai in the Huai River Valley during the Middle Neolithic, a frontier zone affected by population movement and regional reorganization. Using chemical and compositional techniques, it examines connections among raw material selection, tempering, and vessel form within shared burial contexts. Findings show most funerary vessels, including Dawenkou and other nonlocal styles, were made from local clay, indicating mainly local production despite the influence of texture on compositional patterns. Although raw materials revealed shared resources, vessel form mainly expressed cultural identity in earlier phases. In the final phase, enlarging variation among paste recipes and shifts of tempering practices, along with more Qujialing and locally identified vessels despite reliance on local clays, reflect broader regional social restructuring. Similarly, clay preparation and vessel form acted as subtle social boundaries, underscoring the need to interpret technological variability within specific contexts. These results suggest that, beyond passive diffusion, ceramic variability at Jinzhai reflects active negotiation of cultural identity within multiscalar social networks, highlighting pottery production as a key social medium in Neolithic China.