Local Continuity and Selective Technological Translation in Neolithic Pottery From Mopanshan, Lower Yangtze China

The Mopanshan site in southeastern Anhui preserves a long Neolithic sequence spanning the Majiabang, Songze and Liangzhu cultural phases and occupies a strategic position between the Taihu basin and the hill country of southern Anhui. This study integrates LA‐ICP‐MS, XRD, SEM‐EDS and GC‐MS analyses of 22 ceramic vessels to examine long‐term production continuity, materially distinctive recipes and vessel‐use histories within this transitional region. Most vessels define a coherent clay‐matrix field, indicating repeated use of compositionally related regional resources across the sequence. Against this background, two Majiabang large‐mouthed vessels represent contrasting amphibole‐bearing solutions: One combines a compositionally distinctive matrix with coarse actinolite‐rich inclusions, whereas the other incorporates tremolite and clinochlore within a matrix consistent with the principal Mopanshan group. Their coexistence supports a model of selective technological translation, in which a material principle was reworked through local resources and established production routines rather than copied as an intact recipe. The occurrence of amphibole‐bearing vessels at different points in the sequence further indicates a discontinuous rather than simply cumulative history of technological engagement. Organic residue analysis identifies differentiated vessel‐use histories involving animal‐product processing, plant contact, storage and microbial transformation. Together, the evidence positions Mopanshan as an intermediary community in which technological knowledge was actively selected, recombined and embedded within local practice.