Pottery Workshop of the Song Dynasty Found in Nanyao Site, Suzhou

From：Chinese Archaeology  Writer：  Date：2017-10-20

rom June to November in 2016, Suzhou Municipal Institute of Archaeology conducted a salvage excavation to Nanyao site, with an area of about 600 square meters. In total, 66 cultural features were found, including 2 pottery kilns, 5 house remains, 2 sedimentation tank, 2 windlass pits, 4 ditches, 48 ash pits, 2 wells and 1 kitchen range remain. It emerged that archaeologists working at the Nanyao site area that had been used as a pottery workshop from the Song dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Thousands of pieces (sets) of cultural relics, with the majority of utensils were found in the site. Among the utensils, the oil lamp was very unique, also included implement of production, building components and etc. The site was located at Nanyao village, Yuanhe Street, Xiangchen District, Suzhou city, Jiangsu province.
Utensil unearthed included lamp, saving pot, bowl, plate, steamer, cup, incense burner, cover of incense burner; and implement of production, building components and etc. were also found.

Academic Significance

Previously, few pottery kilns were found in Jiangsu area. However, this time, the large number of pottery lamps was found in Nanyao site, with the majority of broken and transformed ones. Around the workshop, relevant function ruins were found as well, they altogether made up a complete functional pottery-making workshop area. The pottery workshop of the Song dynasty consisted of pottery kiln, house remains, sedimentation tanks, kitchen range remains, well and ash pits. According to the unearthed defective products and production scale, it was estimated that the workshop might be operated privately. According to the ceramics pieces found in the cultural layers, the workshop might had been built from the late of the Tang dynasty to the Five dynasties, and had been used until the Ming and Qing dynasties.   (Translator: Wang Jue)