Record #00402Culture & Entertainment archive
Oldest Reported Pottery Remains
Pottery fragments from Xianrendong Cave in Jiangxi, China, were dated to approximately 20,000–19,000 calendar years before present in a 2012 study, making them an important candidate for the oldest known pottery. A 2017 reassessment challenged this early chronology.
ARCHIVE VISUAL / 01
NOT TO SCALE
Current Record
about20,000years before present
Current record value
- Location
- Xianrendong Cave, Jiangxi, China · Wannian County · Shangrao · Jiangxi Province
- Start date
- —
- Record status
- DisputedView verification details ↗Report an issue
Disagreement and differing conclusions：2012年Science研究估计距今约2万—1.9万年，2017年Quaternary International独立复核明确认为2万年主张不能证实。该值仅是2012年研究主张，不代表数据库确认世界最早陶器的无争议年代。
View verification detailsOverview
Archive NoteXianrendong Cave lies in Wannian County, Jiangxi. Excavators dated radiocarbon samples associated with pottery-bearing sediments and reported approximately 20,000–19,000 calibrated years before present in a 2012 Science paper.
A 2017 review in Quaternary International challenged whether the 20,000-year claim could be substantiated and placed the oldest securely supported South China pottery centres at around 18,000 cal BP. The discrepancy is a genuine archaeological dating dispute.
Record history
1 Milestones- about 20,000 years before presentEarly Xianrendong pottery sherdsXianrendong Cave, Jiangxi, ChinaCurrent Record
Sources
Evidence & ReferencesVerification basis and limitations
DisputedThere is a documented substantive disagreement about measurement, comparison boundaries or the record conclusion.
Basis: documented substantive disagreement
Documented independent dispute: Wu et al. (Science 2012) dated pottery-associated contexts at Xianrendong to 20,000–19,000 cal BP; Kuzmin (Quaternary International 2017) critically reviewed the radiocarbon chronology and found the 20,000 cal BP claim unsubstantiated, placing securely supported early pottery in South China near 18,000 cal BP.
Disagreement and differing conclusions
2012年Science研究估计距今约2万—1.9万年，2017年Quaternary International独立复核明确认为2万年主张不能证实。该值仅是2012年研究主张，不代表数据库确认世界最早陶器的无争议年代。
- Early pottery at 20,000 years ago in Xianrendong Cave, China
Science
20,000 to 19,000 calendar years before the present
Early pottery at 20,000 years ago in Xianrendong Cave, China
- The origins of pottery in East Asia and neighboring regions
Quaternary International
the claim for earlier pottery in South China at the Xianrendong Cave, supposedly dated to ca. 20,000 cal BP, cannot be substantiated
2017 Quaternary International abstract, final sentences
- Verification assessment
- 2026-11-05
- Last editorial review
- 2026-11-05
Current Entry identifies the current entry in this archive; it does not establish that the record is still held today.
The record value on this page is organized from the public sources above. Measurement methods may differ; JiLuDB follows the unified method described for each entry.
Public feedbackFound a data issue?If a fact has changed, the data is incorrect, or you know a more authoritative source, submit feedback.Submit feedback
Help keep the archive accurate
If a fact has changed, a value is incorrect, or you know a more authoritative source, leave a note. Feedback enters an administrator review workflow and never edits a record directly.