| Abstract: |
This paper presents the findings of compositional analysis using a number of Chinese ceramics of different styles from the twelfth-thirteenth-century Java Sea Shipwreck. Specifically discussed are the results of laser ablationinductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) analysis conducted at The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago on a selection of high-fired ceramics from the shipwreck, including qingbai (light whitish-blue glazed), green-glazed, and painted wares. This project was undertaken in order to assess correlations between style and material and to begin to identify potential kiln sites where the pieces were manufactured. By doing so, we can better understand the organization, intensity, and scale of ceramic production in China at the time and how these commodities linked Chinese producers to consumers throughout East and Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean World.
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