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Department of Archaeology

 

Dr Yun Zhang

Biography

My research investigates the technology, production, and organisation of prehistoric Eurasian ceramics to understand cultural interaction and social complexity. I am currently a Hosted Fellow at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge.

I completed my DPhil (2018–2023) in the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art at the University of Oxford, focusing on Chinese and Islamic lead‑glazed ceramics, with a thesis titled ‘The Technology of Tang Sancai Glaze’. I subsequently worked as a research fellow at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. My earlier degrees include an M.A. in Archaeology and a B.Sc. in Conservation Science from Northwest University in China.

Research

My research examines technological evolution through the study of material culture in ancient Eurasia, focusing on ceramics and pigments. I employ a methodology grounded in archaeological science, combining fieldwork with experimental and analytical techniques to investigate processes of innovation, exchange, and knowledge transfer. I am currently comparing painted pottery traditions across Eurasia during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. By analysing the chaînes opératoires of assemblages from Northwest China and the Black Sea region, I explore the social dynamics underlying these parallel technological trajectories.

Key Publications

Key publications

ZHANG Yun* & POLLARD A.Mark. 2026. The Use of Cobalt on Chinese Ceramics from the 7th To 20th Centuries CE. In: Andrew Shortland (Ed.), Of Goblins and Gods: 3500 Years of Cobalt and its Pigments. Leuven: Leuven University Press.

CAO Kai, ZHANG Yun, XIONG Shaobai, SHUI Tao* & MA Peng*. 2025. The Westernmost Bronze Age Oasis Settlement in the Tarim Basin: Excavat-ing at the Aketala Sites. Antiquity, 10224.

ZHANG Yun*.2025. The Origin of Blue-and-white Porcelain: A Silk Road Perspective. 丝绸之路与青花瓷的诞生——唐青花的发现与研究. Social Sciences Weekly社会科学报, Oct-10 A06.

POLLARD A.Mark*, ZHANG Yun & LIU Ruiliang. 2023. Bronze Alloying Recipes at Anyang During the Shang Dynasty. Archaeological and Anthropological Science, 15(156).

ZHANG Yun* & POLLARD A.Mark. 2022. The Archaeological and Scientific Analysis of Blue-Decorated Ceramics in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Archaeometry, 64(6), 1394-1410.

WEN Rui*, ZHANG Yun, WANG Dong & WANG Lihua. 2017. The Compositional Characterization and Painting Technique of Chinese Red-and-white Porcelain by EDXRF and SR-μXRF Mapping Analysis. Analytical Method, 9(30), 4380-4386.

ZHANG Yun, WEN Rui*, CUI Menghe, WANG Wenxuan & JIA Maiming. 2016. The Study for the Blue-and-white Porcelains With “Dianshansuo” Mark of Prince Qin明代秦王府“典膳所”青花瓷产地与工艺. Journal of Northwest University (Natural Science Edition) 西北大学学报(自然科学版), 46(6), 932-936.

ZHANG Yun, WEN Rui*, WANG Wenxuan, CUI Menghe & JIA Maiming. 2015. The Research of Blue Patterns of Blue-and-white in Qin’s Mansion明代秦王府“典膳所”青花瓷蓝彩研究. Journal of West Archaeology西部考古, 8, 205-212.

Other publications

POLLARD A.Mark*, LIU Ruiliang & ZHANG Yun. 2025. Investigation of the Recycling of Han Chinese Bronze Mirrors into Japanese Imitation Mirrors. Archaeometry, 1-13. 

POLLARD A.Mark*, LIU Ruiliang & ZHANG Yun (trans). 2024. Combining Lead Isotope and Alloy Composition Modelling in Chinese Shang-dynasty Bronzes商代青铜器铅同位素与合金成分综合模型分析. Science for Archaeology科技考古, 8, 286-299. 

HE Chao* et al. 2025. Using Optical Skyrmions to Assess Vectorial Adaptive Optics Capabilities in the Presence of Complex Aberrations. Nature Communications, 16, 4902.

MA Yifei et al. 2025. Using optical skyrmions to assess vectorial adaptive optics capabilities in the pres- ence of complex aberrations. Sci. Adv., 11, eadv 7904(2025).

ZHENG Lin*, ZHAO Zhiqiang & ZHANG Yun. 2016. The Composition Research of Some Porcelain from Yaotianling Kiln (the Earlier Song Dynasty) in Guangxi Province广西窑田岭窑出土北宋瓷片胎釉化学组成研究. Journal of World of Antiquity文物世界, 6, 68-75.

ZHAO Zhiqiang, WEN Rui*, ZHANG Yun& ZHU Yingpei. 2016. The Research Status of Glass Beads Excavated from the Sites along the Silk Road in Xinjiang新疆丝绸之路沿线出土料珠初探. Journal of West Archaeology西部考古, 10, 220-228.

LI Yinli, WEN Rui*, ZHANG Yun & WANG Ankun. 2016. The Composition Research of Some Glass and Porcelain from M1 Tomb M1出土瓷器、玻璃器研究. In: Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology河南省文物考古研究院(Ed.), No1 Tomb at Pozhao in Xinzheng City新郑坡赵一号墓. Beijing: China Social Sciences Press中国社会科学出版社, 128-136.

LI Yinli, WEN Rui*, ZHANG Yun & WANG Ankun. 2016. The Research of Manufacture and Composition of Porcelain from Xichuanxiazhai Site淅川下寨遗址出土瓷片化学成分与工艺特征初步研究. In: Henan Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage河南省文物局 (Ed.), Excavation Report of Xichuanxiazhai Site in Henan Province淅川下寨遗址—东晋至明清墓葬发掘报告. Beijing: Science Press科学出版社, 240-250.

Job Titles

Hosted Fellow, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

General Info

Not available for consultancy
Research Expertise / Fields of study
Material Culture
Artefact Analysis & Technology
Cultural Evolution

Contact Details

yz2084[a]cam.ac.uk
McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
Downing Street
Cambridge
CB2 3ER
ORCID

Affiliations

Person keywords
Ceramics
Pigments
Eurasia
Silk Roads
Subjects
Archaeological Science
Archaeology
Themes
Science, Technology and Innovation
Material Culture
Rethinking Complexity
Geographical areas
Central Asia
East Asia
Europe
Mediterranean
Periods of interest
Copper/Bronze Age
Medieval
Neolithic
Other Historical
Other Late Prehistory

Contact Us

Postal Address:
Department of Archaeology
Downing Street
CB2 3DZ Cambridge

 

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outreach@arch.cam.ac.uk

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