Scientific studies on pottery and pro-porcelain from group of graves in Henglingshan, Guangdong Province

The findings of the Henglingshan group of graves, Guangdong Province, were appraised as one of the ten major archaeological excavations in 2000. The pottery and proto-porcelain samples excavated from the group of graves in Henglingshan are very important for studying the development history of Guangdong ceramics. In this paper, the chemical compositions, micro-structure and physical properties of the samples were systematically analyzed. The results were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. Different compositional patterns were found for specimens from different periods. The reasons for these variations were discussed. In addition, compared with the pottery and proto-porcelain samples from different production sites in other provinces of China, the obvious regional characters and unique law of the development for ancient ceramics of Guangdong were also discussed.