2025/10/10 by Xiaotong Wu, Yunlu Zhang, Tao Li +11 · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · Environmental Science · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies #Isotope Analysis in Ecology
paper · doi:10.1111/arcm.70043
ABSTRACT Cinnabar, valued for its blood‐like hue endowed with spiritual and religious symbolism, constituted one of the most prized pigments in ancient China. This material was extensively applied in lacquerware production during the Liangzhu culture (3300–2300 bce ). Our analytical approach employed EA‐IRMS and MC‐ICP‐MS to respectively characterize sulfur and mercury isotopes in Liangzhu cinnabar artifacts and cinnabar ores. Results revealed that combined sulfur–mercury isotopic signatures enable effective discrimination of cinnabar provenances across Chinese regions. Analytical data confirm that δ 34 S, δ 202 Hg, and Δ 199 Hg values in most Liangzhu cinnabars align with ore signatures from the Youjiang and Xiangqian Hg deposits (Southwest China), demonstrating the establishment of cross‐regional cinnabar exchange networks during the Neolithic period.