Characterization and provenance analysis of jade-and-stone from the Daxi Culture, Three Gorges, China

From the first excavation of the Daxi Site at the eastern exit of Qutang Gorge in 1958 to the excavation of the Dashuitian Site in 2014, a large number of jade-and-stone artifacts belonging to the Neolithic Daxi Culture have been unearthed in the Three Gorges Area of the Yangtze River, China. This study analyzed 120 jade-and-stone artifacts from the two sites using advanced techniques: Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Results identified 11 mineral types, including marble, nephrite, serpentine, quartzite, malachite, turquoise, and black talc. Based on mineralogical and geochemical data, most jade materials are inferred to be local, while turquoise likely came via long-distance trade. The findings shed new light on the Daxi Culture’s technological practices, resource economy, and regional interactions, providing a scientific foundation for understanding China’s Neolithic jade-and-stone artifact tradition.