This study uses AMS radiocarbon dating (AMS 14C), wood anatomical analysis, and pyrolysis/ gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py/GC-MS) to examine tree remains unearthed at the Shi'ao site in Yuyao, Zhejiang. The results identify the remains as Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zucc.), making them the earliest and most securely dated M. rubra remains found in China. Combined with previous archaeobotanical research in the region, this finding suggests that inhabitants of the Ningshao Plain during the Liangzhu period practiced a mixed subsistence strategy that integrated both rice cultivation and foraging, characterized by diverse plant resource use.
This study examines the distinctive features of Chinese civilization through an archaeological lens, exploring its evolution across extensive time periods and diverse regions. It distinguishes China's unique civilizational traits from those of other ancient cultures. A key focus is the scholarly discourse surrounding the project tracing the origins of Chinese civilization, highlighting China's deep-rooted heritage in propriety and ritual. The study emphasizes the foundational systems established during the Qin and Han dynasties, including administrative divisions, the standardization of script, axle widths, and social norms. From the Wei and Jin periods to the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chinese civilization underwent a profound process of unification, characterized by expanding territories, centralized governance, multiethnic integration, and cultural flourishing. The study concludes that the distinctive features of Chinese civilization include political unity, cultural integration, religious inclusivity, economic interdependence, and enrichment through exchange and mutual learning with foreign cultures. It further examines how these elements interconnect to shape the enduring legacy of Chinese civilization.
Zoomorphic jade objects, the most iconic type of the late Shang jades, are distinguished by their abundance and diversity of forms. Analytical data on the artifacts' burial contexts and the proportional representation of animal forms reveal two distinct diffusion patterns: a maintained consistency in diffusion and an uneven and selective geographic distribution. The distribution of zoomorphic jade objects aligns with the political landscape of the late Shang dynasty, indicating military strongholds or key sites for strategic resources. In regions outside of Yinxu, most tomb owners interred with zoomorphic jade objects were of high social status, often with clear military backgrounds. Thus, these zoomorphic jade objects were not merely ornaments or ritual items but were also indicators of wealth and status in the late Shang dynasty.
The origins and dispersal of the Austronesians constitute one of the most significant research topics in prehistoric archaeology across Island Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. This subject demands multidisciplinary collaboration-particularly among linguistics, archaeology, physical anthropology, and genetics-with archaeology playing an indispensable role. In recent years, new discoveries in regions such as Taiwan (China), the Philippines, and Micronesia have significantly advanced archaeological understanding of Austronesian migrations. Both domestic and international scholars have made notable progress, bringing renewed attention to the northern coast of the South China Sea as a key area for research on Austronesian origins and dispersal.
Terminal Pleistocene microblade technology plays a crucial role in understanding the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition in North China. This study synthesizes diverse data on microblade technology, raw material procurement, tool assemblages, subsistence strategies, and settlement patterns from multiple sites in North China, spanning from Marine Isotope Stage 2 onward. Furthermore, it provides a comprehensive overview of population-wide behavioral changes and cultural development processes in the region during 28-9 ka cal BP. By integrating chronological, paleoenvironmental, and ancient DNA evidence, this analysis demonstrates that the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition in North China was driven by multiple factors, including climatic fluctuations that influenced adaptive strategies, as well as interregional population migration and cultural exchange.
This article explores modular production in ancient China, focusing on the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). Modular production, a method simplifying complex processes into manageable segments for efficient assembly, has deep historical roots in China. Despite its importance, this method remains not well studied in Chinese academia. The article defines modular production and examines its application in Han dynasty artifacts, particularly through the case study of Maituo pottery figurines from Wushan County, Chongqing Municipality. It also analyzes the use of modular techniques in creating funerary objects and utilitarian items, including vehicles and bronze utensils. The research highlights the widespread adoption of modular production in both government and private sectors during the Han dynasty, emphasizing its role in enhancing product quality and efficiency. This study offers insights into the technological and organizational aspects of ancient Chinese manufacturing, underscoring the advanced nature of Han dynasty craftsmanship and its impact on later production methods.
This paper examines the scene-specific bronzes from Sanxingdui, focusing on bronze altars and zun-topped figures. Through an analysis of their compositional elements-divine creature, human figure, and zun arranged in a triadic structure from bottom to top-it is argued that these bronzes depict ceremonial "tribute" scenes. These scenes portray a figure riding an elephant with a zun on its head, offering cowries and other rare resources. The prominence of "tribute" scenes in Sanxingdui's sacrificial and religious practices underscores the site's advanced resource circulation network and its central role in facilitating cultural and material exchanges.
From 2022 to 2023, the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, in collaboration with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted a salvage excavation at the Mengxihe site in Ziyang, Sichuan. Over 100,000 lithic artifacts and numerous animal and plant remains were recovered. The lithics-primarily medium-and small-sized tools made from silicified wood-are dominated by scrapers and produced through simple, expedient core-flake technology. This assemblage represents a rare example of a small-tool industry in southern China. Preliminary dating indicates that the main cultural layer dates to 70,000-50,000 BP. As the only known Middle Paleolithic site in China to yield well-preserved lithics, animal remains, and plant remains in association, Mengxihe offers critical new evidence for exploring Paleolithic lifeways, broad-spectrum resource use, and the emergence of behavioral complexity-contributing to broader discussions on the origins and dispersal of modern humans.
In 2021 and 2022, archaeological surveys and major excavations were conducted at the Xuetang Liangzi site in Areas B, C, and E. These efforts uncovered archaeological remains that include a complete sequence of Paleolithic cultures in southern China. The history of prehistoric human activity at the site spans more than one million years, covering the early to late Paleolithic period. The No. 3 skull of Yunxian Man, unearthed from Layer 3 in Area B, dates to approximately one million years ago and is the best-preserved hominin cranium found on the Eurasian continent of its period.
In 2021 and 2022, an extensive survey was conducted north of the Huanhe River, focusing on the Shang royal mausoleum area at Yinxu. Two moats encircling the boundary of the mausoleum area and more than 470 sacrificial pits were discovered. In 2022, four sites were excavated, yielding clear stratigraphic and material evidence that the two moats were in use during the late Shang dynasty (Dayi Shang period) and served as "dry moats" around the royal mausoleum area. The Western Zhou remains, located southwest of the mausoleum area, have also been excavated and dated to the early Western Zhou.
In 2021 and 2022, excavations of the Nanzuo site focused on the large rammed-earth structures in the northern part. Trial excavations were conducted on the west side, including the west edge of Platform 3 and the west moat, complemented by investigations and extensive surveys. The site spans over 600ha, with its core area being the "nine platforms" surrounded by double moats, which form the core of the settlement. Artifacts unearthed include pottery, bone, stone, and turquoise objects, along with carbonized rice, foxtail millet, broomcorn millet, pig bones, and deer antlers. The Nanzuo site represents a large-scale, high-ranking central settlement with capital city features on the Loess Plateau, dating back to the late Yangshao culture, about 5000 years ago. This suggests that the Longdong region in eastern Gansu was in the early stages of statehood or a civilized society at that time.
This study examines the "export" of Chinese bronze mirrors and their destinations from the ninth to the tenth century, focusing on three shipwrecks-Belitung, Intan, and Cirebon-discovered in the Java Sea, Indonesia. Approximately 70 Chinese bronze mirrors were recovered from these wrecks. Through a comprehensive analysis of the styles, assemblages, and spatial distribution of the mirrors found on these shipwrecks, and by comparing them with contemporaneous examples unearthed from tombs, pagodas, and hoards, this study argues that the distinction between "export" bronze mirrors and those "domestic" lies in the coexistence of new and old mirrors in the export cases. These export assemblages featured a higher proportion of heavier and more exquisitely crafted "old mirrors." This distinction is attributed to the specific demands of overseas markets such as Southeast Asia, West Asia, and Central Asia for high-quality Chinese bronze products.
Through typological analysis and pattern comparison, this study demonstrates that the Seima-Turbino-type bronze spearheads unearthed from the Xiawanggang site date roughly to the end of the third millennium BCE or the beginning of the second millennium BCE. Considering their similarities to the Okunev culture, the Shimao culture, and the iconography of the post-Shijiahe culture, this study suggests that the appearance of Seima-Turbino-type bronze spearheads in the Yangtze River valley resulted from north-south cultural exchange. Understanding this cultural exchange is significant for comprehending changes in China's prehistoric cultural patterns during the Longshan-Erlitou culture period.
Through the examination of Olmec jade objects at the Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Maya jade artifacts from the Chich & eacute;n Itz & aacute; site housed in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, two categories of drilling techniques have been identified: practical and ritual. Practical drilling encompasses drilling positioning, sequential drilling for decoration and openwork. Ritual drilling imbues jade objects with symbolism related to breath and life. In Neolithic China, two systems of drilling techniques for jade processing have been reconstructed: axial rotary drilling and bearing rotary drilling.
Chinese painted pottery probably originated during the early Neolithic and developed through the middle to the first half of the late Neolithic period. Flourishing between 6000 and 5000 years ago, it was initially heavily distributed in the middle and lower Yangtze River areas and Haidai region, then spread northward to the middle Yellow River area, and finally reached its zenith during the Taosi culture period. In this process, painted pottery transitioned from "non-ritual vessels" to "ritual vessels." In certain regions, painted pottery emerged either independently or through the integration of exotic and local traditions; while in others, its use was due entirely to external cultural influences.
Based on the typology of ceramic wares and analysis of the spatial distribution, origin, and dispersal of other categories of archaeological remains, it can be determined that three grand cultural spheres existed on the Holocene Eurasian Continent prior to the rise of the Silk Road. These were the Early Eastern Cultural Sphere, centered around the Yellow River valley and the Yangtze River valley; the Early Western Cultural Sphere, centered around the Tigris-Euphrates River valley (Mesopotamia); the Early Northern Cultural Sphere, located to the north of the Eastern and Western Cultural Spheres. Due to cultural interactions, collisions, and exchanges, there were large intersection zones between the three grand cultural spheres.
The domestication of plants and animals was a unique evolutionary process influenced by human behavior. In the early stage of domestication, the morphological and genetic characteristics of plants and animals still exhibited wild traits, making the concept of the "earliest" crops and domestic animals relative. Human behavior, acting as an unconscious selection mechanism, influenced the process and rate of domestication, making it a crucial factor in identifying domestication. Archaeological evidence of early cultivation and a sedentary lifestyle indicates that the domestication of rice and the origin of rice agriculture in China spanned four to five thousand years, with significant advancements occurring approximately every two thousand years. The origin of rice agriculture began around 10,000 years ago, entered a critical stage around 8000 years ago, and was completed around 6000 years ago. After this period, farming replaced gathering and hunting as the core of the subsistence economy, leading to the establishment of agricultural societies where agricultural production became the driving economic force.
This study re-examines the origins of stirrups and related issues by reassessing two prevailing theories: the “leather toe loop theory” and the “toe stirrup theory.” Through analysis of original archaeological material from the Scythian, Indian, and the Yunnan Dian cultures, along with new insights from fieldwork and examination of a variety of horse tack, this study points out that both outdated theories misinterpret the original material and present unreliable arguments. Consequently, it is unconvincing to claim that stirrups originated from either leather toe loops or toe stirrups. The improvement of saddle structure should not be ignored in an exploration of the origin of stirrups. The solid-tread saddle, which first appeared during the Wei and Jin periods, not only stimulated the invention of the stirrup but also provided necessary structural support for its use.
The Houtaomuga Phase I culture represents the earliest Neolithic remains found in Northeast China heretofore, thus filling an over 10,000-year gap in early pottery distribution. Pottery decorations and manufacturing techniques from this culture are unique. The pattern application methods seen are stamping, rolling, and incising. The emergence of flat-bottomed pottery and coiling techniques serves as a prelude to the later ceramic tradition of cylindrical jars with flat bottoms. Comb-teeth decorations along with plant fiber temper indicate similarity with pottery remains in Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East.
The discovery of the Warring States tomb M1 at Guozishan is a groundbreaking achievement in Eastern Zhou archaeology in Jiangxi. This earthen pit tomb is ditch-bounded with two sloping ramps leading to the bottom. The wooden burial chamber comprises 25 sub-chambers, and more than 2600 pieces/sets of grave goods were unearthed, including sets of ritual vessels, musical instruments, weaponry, chariot and horse accouterments. The tomb dates back to the middle Warring States period, and inscriptions found on the "Zhiyi" and "Bu?shou" ge-dagger-axes (or ji-halberds) suggest the tomb occupant had a close relationship with the Yue royal house. This tomb reflects diverse cultural attributes, which integrated and coexisted with each other. The excavation holds significance as it offers insights into local history, political landscape, and cultural changes during the Eastern Zhou period.
