Impressed hard pottery

　　Impressed Hard Pottery - This is a type of hard-textured daily pottery produced in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the southeastern coastal areas of China from the Bronze Age to the Han Dynasty. Its surface is decorated with impressed geometric patterns, and its texture is finer than that of ordinary pottery. It has a higher iron content and is fired at a higher temperature than ordinary pottery, resulting in colors ranging from purplish-brown, reddish-brown, yellowish-brown, grayish-brown, to grayish-green. The clay composition and firing methods are similar to those of primitive celadon, mainly using the coil method or wheel throwing for shaping. Accessories such as spouts and ears are hand-pinched and then attached. After initial shaping, a 'hand rest' is used to support the inner wall, and a patterned stamp is used to strike the wall, making the body compact. Common impressed patterns include mat patterns, meander patterns, window pane patterns, grid patterns, zigzag patterns, rhombus filled line patterns, and cloud and thunder patterns.

　　Impressed hard pottery and primitive celadon are both found in the aristocratic tombs of the Longshan stone mounds and are unique pottery of the Wu region.