Qin-Qin Lu | University of Cambridge (original) (raw)
Papers by Qin-Qin Lu
iScience, 2023
Our understanding of glass production in Eurasia has been built mostly on evidence from Europe an... more Our understanding of glass production in Eurasia has been built mostly on evidence from Europe and the Mediterranean. Here, we investigate the occurrence and organization of plant-ash glass production in the eastern continental Islamic region, focusing on an 11th–12th century assemblage unearthed in Shadyakh, Nishapur, Iran. Through Sr-Nd isotope analysis and by examining geochemical contexts and mixing patterns, we find that distinct silica and ash sources originating from Tigris-Euphrates Basin, Central Asia, and potentially Iran were used to make these objects. Zagros-derived silica and Central-Asian-type silica were likely important silica sources for Islamic plant-ash glasses from east of the Tigris. Furthermore, we show that Central Asian glass can be characterized by chemical and isotopic signatures, while Iranian glass may exhibit overlapping signatures with glass from neighboring regions. The plant-ash glass industry in Islamic-period West and Central Asia likely thrived by exploiting and sharing diverse, regionally characteristic raw material sources.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
The Miaodigou culture in central China had far-reaching influence across much of the Late Neolith... more The Miaodigou culture in central China had far-reaching influence across much of the Late Neolithic China, leading to the formation of some would call 'Early China'. Its exquisitely painted pottery with highly stylized patterns is especially well-known to East Asian archaeologists. The Miaodigou culture is represented by archaeological remains of Phase I (3800-3300 BCE) of the Miaodigou site in present-day Sanmenxia City of Henan Province. While a high level of specialization in pottery production has long been assumed for the Miaodigou site (and the culture as well), it has not been systematically demonstrated and discussed. The present study focuses on the Phase I utilitarian pottery-most of which are plain but some are painted-recently unearthed from the Miaodigou site. By combining archaeological and archaeometric evidence, including chemical compositional analysis (hhXRF) and mineral identification (XRD), we, for the first time, discuss pottery production at the very center of the Miaodigou culture. We reveal an overall compositional uniformity in the Miaodigou utilitarian pottery that largely exists across different pastes, colors, vessel forms, form-deduced functions, stages, and spatial units. Our results attest to the high intensity and technological continuity of pottery production at the Miaodigou site, confirming that the site was a regional production center through much of the Miaodigou culture period. We suggest that the centralized production of pottery had taken place at the Miaodigou site.
Excavated glass artifacts are usually environmentally impacted, causing spatial inhomogeneity whi... more Excavated glass artifacts are usually environmentally impacted, causing spatial inhomogeneity which poses great challenges for accurate and non-destructive chemical characterization. Here, we present our study on accurate characterization of archaeological glass with Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), a high-precision and minimally destructive analytic method. Using three corroded glass beads excavated from Guangnan, Yunnan, Southern China as examples, we discuss the issues that may be involved when observing signal curves of highly inhomogeneous archaeological glass, as well as provide chemical characterization for the intact pristine body. Results indicate that these Indo-Pacific monochrome beads are of the potassium silicate glass type and used mineral potash source, and that they contain copper as the colorant. By discussing the breadth and depth types of inhomogeneity and focusing on perturbation endured by major elements, we identify the extent of environmental alteration and describe how different elements and matrices can respond differently to the archaeological environment, leading to various corrosion behaviors. For such samples LA-ICP-MS is shown to be an advantageous tool to provide archaeologically relevant information, or to probe artifact conditions for conservation purposes. A good understanding of sample conditions, and close attention to the experimental and calibration process are required to overcome inhomogeneity when tackling archaeological glass.
Journal of Archaeological Science
Bioavailable Sr and detrital Nd isotopes are important tools for archaeological provenance. To ap... more Bioavailable Sr and detrital Nd isotopes are important tools for archaeological provenance. To apply Sr and Nd isotopes for provenance, regional isotope databases and baselines are generally needed. For the vast Silk Road regions of Mesopotamia, Iran, and Central Asia, detailed isotopic distribution patterns essential for determining provenance may not become available in the short term due to the severe deficiency of available data. In the present work, we investigate the geo-environmental factors controlling the Sr and Nd isotopic signatures and use published data from archaeology and Earth sciences, selected by rigorous criteria, to construct the first largescale, semi-quantitative Sr-Nd isotope baseline for these Silk Road regions. Three isotopic zones are proposed for Central Asia: CA-1 (mountains), ε Nd < − 7.5, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr > 0.7095; CA-2 (deserts), ε Nd = − 5 to − 2, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ~ 0.709; CA-3 (loess), ε Nd = − 5 to − 2, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr > 0.710. General isotopic signatures are suggested for Iran: ε Nd = − 8 to − 4, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7075-0.7090. Three isotopic zones are proposed for Mesopotamia: MP-1 (floodplain and foothill), ε Nd = − 6.5 to − 4 (putative extended range MP-1N, ε Nd = − 8 to − 6), 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7080-0.7085; MP-2 (deserts), ε Nd < − 8, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr > 0.7085; MP-3 (Syrian Euphrates), ε Nd = − 5.5 to − 2, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7080-0.7085. Within the limitation of available data, these ranges indicate the overall trend of bioavailable Sr and detrital Nd isotopic signatures for each isotopic zone, which are controlled by their geological context, climate (e.g., precipitation), and various Earth surface processes (e.g., riverine versus aeolian transport). This baseline can be used as an essential guide for geochemical contexts to suggest or verify the provenance of plant-ash glass, serving as part of an integrative Sr-Nd isotopic approach. We illustrate the potential of this approach using two case studies. By investigating the isotopic compositions of Mesopotamian plant-ash glass, we suggest possible northern Mesopotamian origins for plant ash and silica raw materials used for Mesopotamian glass-making. By reassessing medieval plant-ash glass from San Lorenzo, Italy, we propose diverse origins including Central Asia and Mesopotamia. Additionally, as part of this isotopic approach, by examining the Nd isotope mixing lines in the context provided by the Nd isotope baseline, we reveal the occurrence of glass recycling for Islamic plant-ash glass from different production zones in association with a westward spread from Mesopotamia to the Eastern Mediterranean metropolises.
Scientific Reports, 2021
Natron-based glass was a vital part of material culture in the Mediterranean and Europe for nearl... more Natron-based glass was a vital part of material culture in the Mediterranean and Europe for nearly two millennia, but natron glass found elsewhere on the Eurasian Continent has not received adequate discussion, despite its influence on ancient Asian glass. Here we present a new interpretation of natron glass finds from both the West and the East. After establishing the compositional types and technological sequence of Mediterranean natron glass (eighth-second century BCE) using trace elements, we report the analysis of a mid-1st millennium BCE glass bead from Xinjiang, China, which was likely made with Levantine raw glass, and identify common types of stratified eye beads in Eurasia based on a compositional and typological comparison. Combining these findings, we propose that a considerable number of Mediterranean natron glass products had arrived in East Asia at least by the fifth century BCE, which may have been a contributing factor in the development of native Chinese glass-making. The swift diffusion of natron glass across Eurasia in the 1st millennium BCE was likely facilitated by a three-stage process involving maritime and overland networks and multiple forms of trade and exchange, indicating a highly adaptable and increasingly efficient transcontinental connection along the 'Proto-Silk Road'. Past interregional interactions in the Eurasian Continent shaped our world in numerous ways. It is critically important to understand how such interactions evolved in time, extended to larger areas, and exerted increasing influence over cultures. Recent studies have revealed prehistoric connections in Eurasia based on evidence such as human migration 1-3 , the transmission of domesticated crops 4,5 , and the diffusion of pottery 6 and metallurgical 7 technologies. However, before and during much of the Bronze Age, the spread of population, materials, and innovations remained generally time-consuming, suggesting limited intensity of long-range communications. For instance, wheat did not reach the lower Yellow River in China until six millennia after its domestication in West Asia 8,9. This situation had changed by the second century BCE, when Chinese Warring States silk, mirrors and lacquer appeared in contemporaneous burials in Siberia and Inner Asia 10 , and remote regions were recorded in Roman and Chinese literature. At the dawn of a surge in transcontinental material exchange, the Han Dynasty's envoy Zhang Qian was sent for missions into Asia's heartland in the late second century BCE, an event conventionally considered as the beginning of the historical Silk Road. The preceding period, i.e., the 1st millennium BCE, is therefore vital for the decisive acceleration and integration of the long-distance interactions in Eurasia. Man-made glass is one of the truly transnational products of civilization, and can be used to investigate long-distance interactions. Glass had a diverse history of origin and dispersal. Soda glass was first manufactured in the Near East, and subsequently in Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia. Potash glass can be found in South, Southeast, and East Asia, as well as in Europe. Lead-barium glass first appeared in China and was also found in other parts of East Asia 11,12. The emergence of glass-making technology in East Asia during the 1st millennium BCE is an open question. Archaeological investigations of early Chinese glass have revealed the presence of all OPEN
A theoretical study of interacting bosons in a periodic optical lattice is presented. Instead of ... more A theoretical study of interacting bosons in a periodic optical lattice is presented. Instead of the commonly used tight-binding approach (applicable near the Mott insulating regime of the phase diagram), the present work starts from the exact single-particle states of bosons in a cubic optical lattice, satisfying the Mathieu equation, an approach that can be particularly useful at large boson fillings. The effects of short-range interactions are incorporated using a self-consistent Hartree- Fock approximation, and predictions for experimental observables such as the superfluid transition temperature, condensate fraction, and boson momentum distribution are presented.
The phases of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with light-induced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) are s... more The phases of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with light-induced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) are studied within the mean-field approximation. The mixed BEC phase, in which the system condenses in a superposition of two plane wave states, is found to be stable for sufficiently small light-atom coupling, becoming unstable in a continuous fashion with increasing light-atom coupling. The structure of the phase diagram at fixed chemical potential for bosons with SOC is shown to imply an unusual density dependence for a trapped mixed BEC phase, with the density of one dressed spin state increasing with increasing radius, providing a unique experimental signature of this state. The collective Bogoliubov sound mode is shown to also provide a signature of the mixed BEC state, vanishing as the boundary to the regime of phase separation is approached.
iScience, 2023
Our understanding of glass production in Eurasia has been built mostly on evidence from Europe an... more Our understanding of glass production in Eurasia has been built mostly on evidence from Europe and the Mediterranean. Here, we investigate the occurrence and organization of plant-ash glass production in the eastern continental Islamic region, focusing on an 11th–12th century assemblage unearthed in Shadyakh, Nishapur, Iran. Through Sr-Nd isotope analysis and by examining geochemical contexts and mixing patterns, we find that distinct silica and ash sources originating from Tigris-Euphrates Basin, Central Asia, and potentially Iran were used to make these objects. Zagros-derived silica and Central-Asian-type silica were likely important silica sources for Islamic plant-ash glasses from east of the Tigris. Furthermore, we show that Central Asian glass can be characterized by chemical and isotopic signatures, while Iranian glass may exhibit overlapping signatures with glass from neighboring regions. The plant-ash glass industry in Islamic-period West and Central Asia likely thrived by exploiting and sharing diverse, regionally characteristic raw material sources.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
The Miaodigou culture in central China had far-reaching influence across much of the Late Neolith... more The Miaodigou culture in central China had far-reaching influence across much of the Late Neolithic China, leading to the formation of some would call 'Early China'. Its exquisitely painted pottery with highly stylized patterns is especially well-known to East Asian archaeologists. The Miaodigou culture is represented by archaeological remains of Phase I (3800-3300 BCE) of the Miaodigou site in present-day Sanmenxia City of Henan Province. While a high level of specialization in pottery production has long been assumed for the Miaodigou site (and the culture as well), it has not been systematically demonstrated and discussed. The present study focuses on the Phase I utilitarian pottery-most of which are plain but some are painted-recently unearthed from the Miaodigou site. By combining archaeological and archaeometric evidence, including chemical compositional analysis (hhXRF) and mineral identification (XRD), we, for the first time, discuss pottery production at the very center of the Miaodigou culture. We reveal an overall compositional uniformity in the Miaodigou utilitarian pottery that largely exists across different pastes, colors, vessel forms, form-deduced functions, stages, and spatial units. Our results attest to the high intensity and technological continuity of pottery production at the Miaodigou site, confirming that the site was a regional production center through much of the Miaodigou culture period. We suggest that the centralized production of pottery had taken place at the Miaodigou site.
Excavated glass artifacts are usually environmentally impacted, causing spatial inhomogeneity whi... more Excavated glass artifacts are usually environmentally impacted, causing spatial inhomogeneity which poses great challenges for accurate and non-destructive chemical characterization. Here, we present our study on accurate characterization of archaeological glass with Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), a high-precision and minimally destructive analytic method. Using three corroded glass beads excavated from Guangnan, Yunnan, Southern China as examples, we discuss the issues that may be involved when observing signal curves of highly inhomogeneous archaeological glass, as well as provide chemical characterization for the intact pristine body. Results indicate that these Indo-Pacific monochrome beads are of the potassium silicate glass type and used mineral potash source, and that they contain copper as the colorant. By discussing the breadth and depth types of inhomogeneity and focusing on perturbation endured by major elements, we identify the extent of environmental alteration and describe how different elements and matrices can respond differently to the archaeological environment, leading to various corrosion behaviors. For such samples LA-ICP-MS is shown to be an advantageous tool to provide archaeologically relevant information, or to probe artifact conditions for conservation purposes. A good understanding of sample conditions, and close attention to the experimental and calibration process are required to overcome inhomogeneity when tackling archaeological glass.
Journal of Archaeological Science
Bioavailable Sr and detrital Nd isotopes are important tools for archaeological provenance. To ap... more Bioavailable Sr and detrital Nd isotopes are important tools for archaeological provenance. To apply Sr and Nd isotopes for provenance, regional isotope databases and baselines are generally needed. For the vast Silk Road regions of Mesopotamia, Iran, and Central Asia, detailed isotopic distribution patterns essential for determining provenance may not become available in the short term due to the severe deficiency of available data. In the present work, we investigate the geo-environmental factors controlling the Sr and Nd isotopic signatures and use published data from archaeology and Earth sciences, selected by rigorous criteria, to construct the first largescale, semi-quantitative Sr-Nd isotope baseline for these Silk Road regions. Three isotopic zones are proposed for Central Asia: CA-1 (mountains), ε Nd < − 7.5, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr > 0.7095; CA-2 (deserts), ε Nd = − 5 to − 2, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ~ 0.709; CA-3 (loess), ε Nd = − 5 to − 2, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr > 0.710. General isotopic signatures are suggested for Iran: ε Nd = − 8 to − 4, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7075-0.7090. Three isotopic zones are proposed for Mesopotamia: MP-1 (floodplain and foothill), ε Nd = − 6.5 to − 4 (putative extended range MP-1N, ε Nd = − 8 to − 6), 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7080-0.7085; MP-2 (deserts), ε Nd < − 8, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr > 0.7085; MP-3 (Syrian Euphrates), ε Nd = − 5.5 to − 2, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7080-0.7085. Within the limitation of available data, these ranges indicate the overall trend of bioavailable Sr and detrital Nd isotopic signatures for each isotopic zone, which are controlled by their geological context, climate (e.g., precipitation), and various Earth surface processes (e.g., riverine versus aeolian transport). This baseline can be used as an essential guide for geochemical contexts to suggest or verify the provenance of plant-ash glass, serving as part of an integrative Sr-Nd isotopic approach. We illustrate the potential of this approach using two case studies. By investigating the isotopic compositions of Mesopotamian plant-ash glass, we suggest possible northern Mesopotamian origins for plant ash and silica raw materials used for Mesopotamian glass-making. By reassessing medieval plant-ash glass from San Lorenzo, Italy, we propose diverse origins including Central Asia and Mesopotamia. Additionally, as part of this isotopic approach, by examining the Nd isotope mixing lines in the context provided by the Nd isotope baseline, we reveal the occurrence of glass recycling for Islamic plant-ash glass from different production zones in association with a westward spread from Mesopotamia to the Eastern Mediterranean metropolises.
Scientific Reports, 2021
Natron-based glass was a vital part of material culture in the Mediterranean and Europe for nearl... more Natron-based glass was a vital part of material culture in the Mediterranean and Europe for nearly two millennia, but natron glass found elsewhere on the Eurasian Continent has not received adequate discussion, despite its influence on ancient Asian glass. Here we present a new interpretation of natron glass finds from both the West and the East. After establishing the compositional types and technological sequence of Mediterranean natron glass (eighth-second century BCE) using trace elements, we report the analysis of a mid-1st millennium BCE glass bead from Xinjiang, China, which was likely made with Levantine raw glass, and identify common types of stratified eye beads in Eurasia based on a compositional and typological comparison. Combining these findings, we propose that a considerable number of Mediterranean natron glass products had arrived in East Asia at least by the fifth century BCE, which may have been a contributing factor in the development of native Chinese glass-making. The swift diffusion of natron glass across Eurasia in the 1st millennium BCE was likely facilitated by a three-stage process involving maritime and overland networks and multiple forms of trade and exchange, indicating a highly adaptable and increasingly efficient transcontinental connection along the 'Proto-Silk Road'. Past interregional interactions in the Eurasian Continent shaped our world in numerous ways. It is critically important to understand how such interactions evolved in time, extended to larger areas, and exerted increasing influence over cultures. Recent studies have revealed prehistoric connections in Eurasia based on evidence such as human migration 1-3 , the transmission of domesticated crops 4,5 , and the diffusion of pottery 6 and metallurgical 7 technologies. However, before and during much of the Bronze Age, the spread of population, materials, and innovations remained generally time-consuming, suggesting limited intensity of long-range communications. For instance, wheat did not reach the lower Yellow River in China until six millennia after its domestication in West Asia 8,9. This situation had changed by the second century BCE, when Chinese Warring States silk, mirrors and lacquer appeared in contemporaneous burials in Siberia and Inner Asia 10 , and remote regions were recorded in Roman and Chinese literature. At the dawn of a surge in transcontinental material exchange, the Han Dynasty's envoy Zhang Qian was sent for missions into Asia's heartland in the late second century BCE, an event conventionally considered as the beginning of the historical Silk Road. The preceding period, i.e., the 1st millennium BCE, is therefore vital for the decisive acceleration and integration of the long-distance interactions in Eurasia. Man-made glass is one of the truly transnational products of civilization, and can be used to investigate long-distance interactions. Glass had a diverse history of origin and dispersal. Soda glass was first manufactured in the Near East, and subsequently in Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia. Potash glass can be found in South, Southeast, and East Asia, as well as in Europe. Lead-barium glass first appeared in China and was also found in other parts of East Asia 11,12. The emergence of glass-making technology in East Asia during the 1st millennium BCE is an open question. Archaeological investigations of early Chinese glass have revealed the presence of all OPEN
A theoretical study of interacting bosons in a periodic optical lattice is presented. Instead of ... more A theoretical study of interacting bosons in a periodic optical lattice is presented. Instead of the commonly used tight-binding approach (applicable near the Mott insulating regime of the phase diagram), the present work starts from the exact single-particle states of bosons in a cubic optical lattice, satisfying the Mathieu equation, an approach that can be particularly useful at large boson fillings. The effects of short-range interactions are incorporated using a self-consistent Hartree- Fock approximation, and predictions for experimental observables such as the superfluid transition temperature, condensate fraction, and boson momentum distribution are presented.
The phases of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with light-induced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) are s... more The phases of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with light-induced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) are studied within the mean-field approximation. The mixed BEC phase, in which the system condenses in a superposition of two plane wave states, is found to be stable for sufficiently small light-atom coupling, becoming unstable in a continuous fashion with increasing light-atom coupling. The structure of the phase diagram at fixed chemical potential for bosons with SOC is shown to imply an unusual density dependence for a trapped mixed BEC phase, with the density of one dressed spin state increasing with increasing radius, providing a unique experimental signature of this state. The collective Bogoliubov sound mode is shown to also provide a signature of the mixed BEC state, vanishing as the boundary to the regime of phase separation is approached.