Book

The archaeology of ancient China

Yale University Press • New Haven, Conn. • Published In 1986 • Pages:

By: Chang, Kwang-chih.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Chang has compiled and synthesized the archeological work carried out in China from 1921 to 1979 and has written a comprehensive account of the Chinese paleolithic, neolithic and early state period, including the Yangshao, Dawenkou (both 5,000-3,000 B.C.), and Longshan (3,000-2,000 B.C.) cultures; and the Three Dynasties period (2,000-1,000 B.C.) Chang covers major cultures, subcultures and phases in both the central and outlying regions. The Dawenkou culture is a Eastern Chinese (mostly Shandong and Jiangsu Provinces) culture, which is a contemporary of the Yangshao culture and a precursor of the Longshan culture. Chang sees an eventual Longshan horizon extending across most of China proper by 2,000 B.C., creating a 'Chinese interaction sphere' which formed the basis of early state development and rise of Chinese civilization. He argues that the three dynasties were not a dynastic sequence, one replacing the other, but represent coexistent regional powers that were hegemonic at different times.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Identification
Comparative evidence
Ceramic technology
Lithic industries
Burial practices and funerals
Chronologies and culture sequences
Typologies and classifications
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Dawenkou
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Asia
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
East Asia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
NotesAdditional notes
Kwang-chih Chang
Includes bibliographical references (p. 439-442) and index
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
86009186
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
China--Antiquities