Study on Chemical Composition and Provenience Differentiation of Turquoises Excavated from Two Sites in Xinjing
XIAN Yi-heng1，2, LI Xin-tong1，2, ZHOU Xue-qi3, MA Jian1, LI Yan-xiang4, WEN Rui1，2
1. Key Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Conservation and Research, Ministry of Education，Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
2. Scientific and Archaeological Research Center, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
3. School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
4. Institute of Metallurgy and Materials History, University Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Abstract：Study on geological provenience of turquoise can reveal a lot about ancient trade, organization of resources and cultural exchanges, thus the origin of turquoise artifacts excavated from Xinjiang has been a hot issue in archaeometry in recent years. At present, there are three major academic hypotheses on the provenience of turquoise objects found in Xinjiang: Central Plains, Xinjiang or Persia. In order to determine the provenience of turquoise excavated from Jiayi and Xigou sites, two cemeteries in the eastern part of Xinjiang have been chosen, and we examined the turquoise samples using LA-ICP-AES to analyze the chemical composition and PCA to compare the results with samples from five regions in the eastern Qinling Mountains (Central Plains). The results of the composition analysis of the objects from these two sites have shown that five of the Jiayi site samples are rare zinc turquoise, while the other samples are similar to those turquoise samples of the Xigou site and contain relatively high level of Fe and Sr. Based on the comparative analysis of the turquoise composition data between these two sites and samples from the Qinling Mountains, it was suggested that the trace elements of turquoise artifacts from Jiayi and Xigou sites are not similar to the turquoise samples in the Central Plains, different in view of higher level of B2O (Wt%) and lower level of BaO (wt%). According to the provenience differentiation model, the samples from these two sites have formed a cluster and are clearly distinguished from the distribution areas of Qinling Mountains. Hence, it can be concluded that the composition of the turquoise artifacts excavated from Jiayi and Xigou sites is different from the minerals of Qinling, Mountains in Central Plains. Based on the discovery of the ancient turquoise mining site in Hami, Xinjiang, the turquoise artifacts found in Jiayi and Xigou sites are barely likely to be from Central Plains.
Key words：The east of Xinjiang; LA-ICP-AES; PCA; Turquoise; Provenience differentiation of turquoise
先怡衡，李欣桐，周雪琪，马 健，李延祥，温 睿. 新疆两处遗址出土绿松石文物的成分分析和产源判别[J]. 光谱学与光谱分析, 2020, 40(03): 967-970.
XIAN Yi-heng, LI Xin-tong, ZHOU Xue-qi, MA Jian, LI Yan-xiang, WEN Rui. Study on Chemical Composition and Provenience Differentiation of Turquoises Excavated from Two Sites in Xinjing. SPECTROSCOPY AND SPECTRAL ANALYSIS, 2020, 40(03): 967-970.
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