Microelement analysis of source of raw materials of terracotta warriors and horses of Qin’s Mausoleum in pits No. 1 and No. 2

• Published in: Science bulletin (Beijing) Vol. 47; no. 16; pp. 1337 - 1340
• Main Authors: Zhao Weijuan, Xu, Aijun, Li Rongwu, Gao Zhengyao, Li Guoxia, Xie Jianzhong, Han Guohe, Feng Songlin, Fan Dongyu, Zhang, Ying, Cai Zhifang, Zhang, Zhongli, Zhu Junxiao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Springer Nature B.V 01.08.2002; Faculty of Physical Engineering,Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China%Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China%High Energy Physics Institute, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China%Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum, Xi'an, 710600, China
• Subjects: Activation analysis; Ceramics; Clay; Cluster analysis; Construction materials; Horses; Loess; Mausolea; Neutron activation analysis; Pits; Porcelain; Pottery; Raw materials; Terracotta; Trace elements; fuzzy cluster analysis; terracotta warriors and horses of Qin's Mausoleum; the original place of raw material; neutron activation analysis; microelement analysis
• ISSN: 2095-9273; 1001-6538; 2095-9281; 1861-9541
• DOI: 10.1360/02tb9296

In order to search for sources of the raw material of the Qin’s terracotta warriors and horses, we selected 20 samples of pottery warriors and pottery horses of the Qin’s Mausoleum from pit No. 1, 19 samples of pottery warriors and brick from pit No. 2, 20 samples of clays near the Qin’s Mausoleum and 2 samples of Yaozhou porcelain bodies. The 32 kinds of element content of each sample were measured by neutron activation analysis (NAA). These data were analyzed by fuzzy cluster analysis, the trend cluster analysis diagram was obtained. The results showed that samples of terracotta warriors and horses from pits No.1 and No. 2 were closely related to the loam layer near Qin’s Mausoleum, but their relations with the loess layers were not so close, and they were out of all relation to Yaozhou porcelain bodies. Thus, it could be deduced that the Li Mountain clay may be considered as the original place of the raw materials of the terracotta warriors and horses, the kiln sites might be located nearby the Qin’s Mausoleum.