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This article collected papers published by Chinese archaeologists in Chinese and World core journals (CCJs and WCJs for short) in the past century. Based on bibliometric analysis, the general characteristics and trends of Chinese archaeology were summarized. In a macroscopic perspective, historiography-rooted archaeology focusing on historical periods and central areas of China and preferring traditional archaeological methods (mainly a culture-historical paradigm) will continue to occupy a leading position in China. Simultaneously, interdisciplinary research and internationalisation will likely continue to develop and diversify Chinese archaeology, though the speed is unknown due to the impact of the pandemic. In comparison, more attention needs to be paid to theoretical research and to publishing more results of historical archaeology in WCJs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an imprint of Confucian culture, China's education intersects state governance in making and governing educational subjects as 'talent', an official translation of the Chinese term 'rencai' (literally, human-talent). Whereas the English word 'talent' itself denotes '[people with] natural aptitude or skill', 'talent' is currently mobilized in China not only as a globalized discourse that speaks to the most aspired educational subjects for the 21st century but also as a re-invoked cultural notion that relates to Confucian wisdom. Drawing upon Foucault's biopower hypothesis and Confucian thought, this paper leverages upon China's unique manipulation of 'talent' as certain skills and human subjects, both cultivable through education, to problematize China's talent making and governing in two dimensions. First, it unpacks the various technologies of power entangled in China's talent making and governing within its 'state governance' paradigm. Second, it unpacks Confucian thought as an archaeological prototype for China's present talent appeal, meanwhile explicating their divergences in defining 'human', 'talent', and the human-talent interpellation. In so doing, this paper makes two arguments. First, the linguistic notion of 'talent' functions as a Foucauldian apparatus of biopower, making (up) new kinds of people and normalizing a certain population as the objective/object of China's state governance. Second, CPC's re-invocation of Confucian talent discourses is more of a rhetorical strategy than an authentic cultural renaissance gesture.

Chinese scholars' performance in international academic community and research on foreign archaeology has brought hot discussion about the internationalization of Chinese archaeology. Based on the databases of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and the Web of Science core collection (WoS), this paper collected archaeology-related papers published by Chinese scholars in Chinese and world core journals (CCJs and WCJs for short), then filtered translated and original articles about foreign archaeology in CCJs, as well as all original archaeological articles in WCJs. Using Excel, CiteSpace and VOSviewer visualization software, we analyzed these data to give a bird's-eye view of how archaeology research in Mainland China has become internationalized. Chinese archaeology has seen active-interrupt-active phases characterized by learning from foreign academics in the last century. Over the past two decades, the number of articles published in WCJs by scholars from Mainland China has increased significantly, and most research topics are at the forefront of international scholarship. Collaboration networks largely expanded, with the number of Mainland China–led articles increasing significantly. Archaeological papers written by researchers from Mainland China have appeared in a more extensive range of journals, including those with high impact factors. However, articles related to joint Sino-foreign archaeological projects were mostly published in CCJs. The archaeology-related articles published by Chinese scholars in WCJs occupied only a small proportion of all archaeological articles in WCJs. Compared to articles in CCJs, the number of those published by Chinese scholars in WCJs is a drop in the ocean. Therefore the internationalization is not yet a dominant trend and with the introduction of the new inward-looking policy we need more time to observe where the trends of internationalization and localization in Chinese archaeology are heading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the transformation in the Zhou dynasty China (1046-256 BC) of the concept of education in relation to the process of social selection, which concerns the distribution both of knowledge and of social ranks. An approach in terms of historical semantics, mainly influenced by Luhmannian sociological theory with some reference to Koselleck, will place the focus on social change and the changing meaning of concepts. The analysed sources include archaeological evidence and passages from traditional classics. The paper will show how the semantics of education were closely tied to the changing principles of social selection and the changing Chinese cultural concept of "Tian" (Heaven).

In 2009, the Chinese Government held the Great Sites Protection Summit Forum in Luoyang city to promote the integration of site museums into urban life. This paper has selected the Luoyang Zhouwangcheng Emperor Six Horses Carriage Museum in Luoyang as an example in order to explore the relationship between exhibition methods and the local environment. This museum has preserved the relics of the large-scale carriage and horse pit of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty at the original discovery site since 2002. It has a branch maintaining a similar discovery in 2009, which was integrated into the Tanggong Road primary school. Because the museum and its branch are located in the city center of Luoyang, they have faced many design and functional challenges shared by other urban site museums, including the limitation of space and appropriate preservation of archaeological discoveries. By identifying and analyzing these challenges, this paper suggests that the museum has developed a unique way to engage citizens, which provides a useful reference for understanding site museums in the urban area of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile pastoralism was a key lifeway in the Late Bronze and Iron Age of Northwest China and played a crucial role in the regional socio-cultural development, as well as the formation of transregional networks. In this paper we analyse the complete faunal assemblage from House F2 in Shirenzigou, on the Eastern Tianshan Mountains, in combination with radiocarbon dating and spatial analysis, to explore local animal resources exploitation strategies and related socio-economic implications. Our results show an intensive multipurpose caprine management, while the exploitation of other domestic taxa, cattle, horses and dogs, was limited. This pastoral economy was supplemented with some hunting. The differentiated use of space in F2 indicates that basic domestic tasks were carried out in the structure, however its position within the landscape and the predominance of bone tools related to warfare and socialization activities, suggests that it was not an ordinary dwelling, it may also have served as a watch post for the summer encampment within the gully. Our findings constitute an important contribution on the discussion on animal resources exploitation strategies and their relationship with evolving socio-economic complexity in the Eastern Tianshan region in the late first millennium BCE., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

"Alteration" geologically refers to chemical composition and/or structural changes of minerals under the influences of hydrothermal fluids, surface water, seawater, or other environmental conditions. In this paper, we use the word "alteration" to refer to chemical component and structural changes in jade artifacts caused by human activity and natural weathering, which is different from the term in geology. "Mercury alteration", a kind of black alteration related to Hg, is unique among the several types of alteration that occur in Chinese ancient jades. Mercury alteration often appears on ancient jade artifacts unearthed from high-grade tombs of the pre-Qin period (before 221 B.C.). Therefore, ancient jades with mercury alteration have attracted substantial attention from Chinese archaeologists. This paper reports the use of materials analytic techniques to study such ancient jade fragments. The studied jade samples date to the middle and late periods of the Spring and Autumn Period (~500 B.C.) and were unearthed from Lizhou'ao Tomb in Jiangxi Province, China. Structural analyses revealed the internal microstructure of the ancient jade fragments and the microdistribution of the mercury alteration. The jade fragments exhibit typical characteristics of round holes and structural hierarchy, which imply that the jades were heated before burial. The black alteration on these jade samples was found to be rich in Hg. The results of this study will be widely useful in the study of ancient jade artifacts and jade culture in Chinese archeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the international stage, discussions on theoretical and methodological aspects of settlement archaeology tend to be dominated by Anglo-American scholarship associated with the emergence of the New Archaeology's systemic view of culture and its ecological outlook in which settlement pattern analysis became a crucial approach. Few people are aware that a scholar of Chinese origin, K.C. Chang, contributed substantially to these debates already since the 1950s and introduced western practices of settlement archaeology to China in the 1980s. Since then, numerous international collaborative projects in China have provided a fruitful basis for an exchange of ideas between different scholarly traditions and providing opportunities for methods developed in the West to be tested in a different cultural and environmental context. The present paper traces these developments, highlighting the extent of the Chinese contributions and concluding with some thoughts on the standing of Chinese archaeology within the field of archaeology worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on ancient settlements in the Luzhong region (the centre of Shandong Province) of China and analyses the spatial–temporal distribution and morphological characteristics of ancient settlements with the help of GIS technology and the perspectives of archaeology and cultural geography. Specifically, the 1972 settlements collected were used to establish a database of settlement site attributes. Then, the DEM data were superimposed with the settlement sites, and calculations of the kernel density, elevation, slope, aspect, and buffer zone were further carried out. The distribution and characteristics were refined based on quantitative and qualitative analyses. The study found that the Neolithic period, the Shang–Zhou period, and the Qin–Northern and Southern Dynasties were the three high points of settlement development. In these three periods, the centres of the large-scale distribution of settlements experienced changes from a "single centre" to a "continuous belt" to a "double centre'. In general, the spatial and temporal characteristics of the settlement distribution were continuously developed through time, while the spatial characteristics show that the main body continued to change locally. In different periods, settlements tended to be in the alluvial plains located between 20 and 60 m and with a slope of less than 6°. At the same time, they showed the obvious characteristic of living close to water. The past, present, and future are in the same chain of time; meanwhile, these settlements are the predecessors of today's cities, towns, and villages. So, this study provides a basis for protecting their heritage value and provides a reference for the coordination of human–land relations, which can help achieve global sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing archaeology bases on the use of remote sensing images and interpretation of the principles. The historic relics and sites are resulted from human activities and have constantly caused influences on the soil component, moisture content, temperature, vegetation growth and so on. Based on this thought, this paper proposed a new remote sensing model and approach that integrates optical and thermal infrared remote sensing data for archaeology. Taking the Qin Yongcheng site as the example, this method conducts a comprehensive analysis of key factors affecting archaeological application, that is, LST estimated with Landsat TM data, soil brightness, humidity and greenness obtained from GF-1 data, and then interprets the potential site targets. By conducting the field verification, it is shown that the interpreted potential sites are well consisted with the field investigations and have a high interpretation precision. It can provide a guide for further archaeological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a new review of archaeometric research carried out on glass found in China, set in an archaeological context, from its earliest occurrence to the Song dynasty. It is set within a broad geographical context taking the terrestrial and maritime Silk Road contacts into account. We discuss chemical and isotopic compositional contrasts in glasses from different periods found in different parts of China, the glasses that were almost certainly made in China and those that were imported. A theme that runs through the paper is the problem of provenancing glass found in China, along with a lack of evidence for primary glass‐making sites and minimal evidence for secondary glass production. We discuss the glass artefacts that are of typical Chinese types and contrast these with imports; the structure reflects this contrast. We discuss potential new scientific and archaeological approaches to Chinese glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well reasoned lead (Pb) isotope-driven provenance study lies in concert with a comprehensively evaluated database of geological ore sources and accompanying archaeological and contextual information. In this paper we have compiled and evaluated all currently available Pb isotope data for galena and K-feldspars in China, and provided geological interpretations for how their ore-forming substances evolved across relevant tectonic terrains. We pay particular attention to the geological settings of host ore deposits that were likely exploited in ancient and historic China, detailing the heterogeneity and homogeneity of their ore formation across different metallogenic provinces and belts. Using the isotope database, and supportive geological and archaeological background information, three case studies are presented that detail the provenancing of Chinese cultural materials. The isotope data themselves are presented in ternary diagrams that allow for their concise and accurate comparison., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

This paper engages in debates about the spatiality of social movements which have argued that examining politics purely through territorial or relational understandings of space does not adequately grasp the ways in which social movements undertake their activities. The paper argues that a possible route through this debate lies in the concept of assemblage, which has recently been deployed in geography in order to understand the emergence and practice of social organisation and activity. The paper develops these ideas through an empirical discussion of the practices that help to maintain a particular social movement organisation - a Tibet Support Group (TSG). Through ethnographic engagement with a particular TSG, the paper argues that through the quotidian activities like delivering the mail we can understand how sociospatial practices within an organisation display both territorial and relational elements at the same time. This develops an account that advances knowledge of the spatiality of political action, and with it the ability of assemblage to understand organisational practices, but also develops theoretical insights into TSGs as a particular type of organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the historical and archaeological evidence for ‘valuables’ passing through Suakin, as part of the Red Sea-Indian Ocean trade. The main locations on Suakin Island Town investigated 2002-2013 are briefly described. Interviews show that at Suakin, in the later 19th century/early 20th century, imported valuables included fabrics from Europe, perfume oils, cloths and wooden chests from India; porcelain from China and Turkey; rugs from Persia/Iran and glass from Italy. Interviews and early modern European accounts indicate the range of products from the hinterland, such as cotton, gold, ivory, ostrich feathers, slaves, horses, gum arabic, ebony, musk, tobacco, rubber and coffee. Local fishermen supplied fish, shells, pearls and mother-of-pearl. The archaeological evidence indicates pottery and porcelain from the Arabian Peninsula, south-west Asia, south Asia, China and south-east Asia, while identifications of wood samples indicates teak from south and south-east Asia. A combination of archaeological, historical and ethnographic evidence is needed to build up a picture of the trade in valuables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beginning and early development of metallurgy in China have long been hot topics in Eurasian archaeology since they were suggested to be closely linked with the so-called "prehistoric globalization." This paper assesses the available archaeological and archaeometallurgical evidence within their temporal-spatial framework and explores diachronic and cross-spatial developmental processes of early metallurgy in different regions in China. While recognizing the importance of long-distance interaction and exogenous technological stimulation, we draw attention to the local adoption and adaptation process of metallurgy and highlight the significance of local communities as sponsors, practitioners, and consumers of the metallurgical products and production as well as agents of technology transmission. While previous research has focused on individual object features that were seen as typical for specific archaeological cultures, current data shows considerable similarities in artifact typologies and material types among the early metal-using societies throughout Northwest China. We therefore argue that the modification of foreign metallurgical traditions through localized practice in Northwest China was crucial for their transmission further eastward and thus for the ultimate establishment of a new metallurgical tradition in the Central Plain of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dali hominid site is well known as it contains a human cranium associated with stone artefacts and animal bones. Dating efforts have provided an age range of ~ 300–247 ka for these remains. Renewed study of the cranium in recent years has revealed a mix of archaic traits in the neurocranium and derived features in the face, and thus, this specimen may provide insight into our understanding of modern human evolution in China. However, the technological behaviour possessed by these people has remained unclear due to a lack of new and detailed research. In this paper, we re-examine the lithic assemblages from Dali, originally excavated in 1978 and 1980, and for the first time, we now provide a sound assemblage by removing those geofacts that have been used in past archaeological reports. Although the total number of artefacts is now smaller, our results show that core reduction strategies at Dali are primarily expedient, dominated by simple unifacial unidirectional flaking. In contrast, the formal tools exhibit relatively advanced technology, with artefacts that are diverse in type and characterized by a relatively standardized production strategy. In contrast to the widely accepted model for slow and conservative technological development in Chinese Palaeolithic technology, pre 40 ka, here, we suggest that there is evidence for gradual technological changes from the Early to Middle and early Late Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an attempt to document the early history of the quantitative chemical analysis of ceramic materials in Europe, with a specific interest in the analysis of archaeological ceramics. This inevitably leads to a study of the attempts made in Europe to imitate the miraculous material-porcelain-imported from China from the fourteenth century onwards. It is clear that before the end of the eighteenth century progress was made in this endeavour by systematic but essentially trial-and-error firing of various raw materials, culminating in the successful production of European porcelain by Böttger and von Tschirnhaus in 1709. Shortly after this, letters describing the Chinese manufacture of porcelain, and, more importantly, samples of raw and fired material, began to arrive in Europe from French Jesuit missionaries, which were subjected to intense study. Following the perfection of gravimetric methods of chemical analysis in the late eighteenth century, these Chinese samples, and samples of porcelain from various European factories, were regularly analysed, particularly by Brongniart at Sèvres. Similar work was carried out on English porcelain by Simeon Shaw and Sir Arthur Church. The origins of the chemical analysis of archaeological ceramics are still somewhat obscure, but must date to the late eighteenth or early nineteenth centuries, by the likes of Vauquelin and Chaptal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Stable isotope analysis of ancient skeletons has become a routine method and widely used to answer diverse archaeological questions related to the human (animal) diets since the initial study in 1977. However, this study in china is underestimated and much less unknown to international circles considering the infrequent publications in English journals. In this review paper, the research history in China was overviewed shortly and then, the research progresses concerning different research themes, such as the chronological trajectory of human diets, the development and spread of agriculture, the mechanism of animal domestication, human social hierarchy, and so on, were introduced in detail, trying to draw a rough framework of human dietary evolution given the unique Chinese geography and cultures. At last, the potential research directions were also suggested for the future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to apply kernel density estimates (KDEs) to the visualization and interpretation of lead isotope data from bronze assemblages found along the northern border of central China, here designated as the Arc. New lead isotope analyses of 30 leaded tin–bronze artefacts from the Wangdahu cemetery (c.500–300 bc) in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, north‐west China, provide the basis for the discussion. By using multivariate KDEs and the calculated likelihood of the overlap, the present work shows that the Wangdahu objects feature a unique linear array of isotope ratios, representing an important element of overall bronzes from the Arc in the first millennium bc. This characteristic isotope signature is fundamentally different from that of Dajing ores in north‐east China, as well from that of early Qin bronzes in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. This suggests that a variety of metal resources were utilized by peoples living in the Arc. The KDE approach thus proves effective at presenting and comparing lead isotope data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Shimao (石峁) site, located in northeastern Shaanxi Province, is the focus of some of the most exciting work being done in Chinese archaeology today. Since 2012, the site has been included several times in the list of the most important discoveries of Chinese archaeology and was even selected by the first Shanghai Archaeology Forum as one of the top 10 archaeological discoveries in the world. Because of its unique nature and the exemplary work being done by its excavators, Shimao could have formed the basis of a new focus on systematic fieldwork and rigorous model building. Instead, the excavation of Shimao has been subsumed in traditional narratives that have supported linear views of history and thrown focus especially on its relationship to the emergence of dynastic China in the Central Plains. We will argue here, rather, that another approach would be to see the Shimao center as the core of a regional trajectory that is parallel, but not necessarily tied, to the developments in the Central Plains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cowrie shells are often found in Bronze Age sites in China. The commonly accepted explanation for their function is that they were used as money or currency during the Shang and the Zhou periods, if not as early as the Neolithic. References to cowrie shells in Shang and Zhou bronze inscriptions and in received classical texts are often regarded as evidence for such an interpretation. This paper reviews the hypothesis that cowries were money and examines textual evidence commonly cited in support of the hypothesis. It argues that a number of different concepts, such as wealth, value, and money, are often misleadingly conflated in the discussion of "cowrie money," and that some of the textual references to cowries have been misinterpreted. The paper suggests that, on present evidence, cowries began to assume the role of a standard of value only during the Middle Western Zhou period. The main function of cowries in the Shang and Western Zhou periods is more likely to have been ornamental, funerary, or ritual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baligang is a Neolithic site on a northern tributary of the middle Yangtze and provides a long archaeobotanical sequence from the Seventh Millennium BC upto the First Millennium BC. It provides evidence for developments in rice and millet agriculture influenced by shifting cultural affiliation with the north (Yangshao and Longshan) and south (Qujialing and Shijiahe) between 4300 and 1800 BC. This paper reports on plant macro-remains (seeds), from systematic flotation of 123 samples (1700 litres), producing more than 10,000 identifiable remains. The earliest Pre-Yangshao occupation of the sites provide evidence for cultivation of rice (Oryza sativa) between 6300-6700 BC. This rice appears already domesticated in on the basis of a dominance of non-shattering spikelet bases. However, in terms of grain size changes has not yet finished, as grains are still thinner than more recent domesaticated rice and are closer in grain shape to wild rices. This early rice was cultivated alongside collection of wild staple foods, especially acorns (Quercus/Lithicarpus sensu lato). In later periods the sites has evidence for mixed farming of both rice and millets (Setaria italica and Panicum miliaceum). Soybean appears on the site in the Shijiahe period (ca.2500 BC) and wheat (Triticum cf. aestivum) in the Late Longshan levels (2200-1800 BC). Weed flora suggests an intensification of rice agriculture over time with increasing evidence of wetland weeds. We interpret these data as indicating early opportunistic cultivation of alluvial floodplains and some rainfed rice, developing into more systematic and probably irrigated cultivation starting in the Yangshao period, which intensified in the Qujialing and Shijiahe period, before a shift back to an emphasis on millets with the Late Longshan cultural influence from the north.

In an accompanying paper (Journal of Anthropological Research 73(2):149-80, 2017), the authors assess current archaeological and paleobiological evidence for the early Neolithic of China. Emerging trends in archaeological data indicate that early agriculture developed variably: hunting remained important on the Loess Plateau, and aquatic-based foraging and protodomestication augmented cereal agriculture in South China. In North China and the Yangtze Basin, semisedentism and seasonal foraging persisted alongside early Neolithic culture traits such as organized villages, large storage structures, ceramic vessels, and polished stone tool assemblages. In this paper, we seek to explain incipient agriculture as a predictable, system-level cultural response of prehistoric foragers through an evolutionary assessment of archaeological evidence for the preceding Paleolithic to Neolithic transition (PNT). We synthesize a broad range of diagnostic artifacts, settlement, site structure, and biological remains to develop a working hypothesis that agriculture was differentially developed or adopted according to "initial conditions" of habitat, resource structure, and cultural organization. The PNT of China is characterized by multiple, divergent evolutionary pathways: between the eastern and western parts of North China, and between and the Yangtze Valley and the Lingnan region farther south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to re-examine how concepts of public archaeology have been established and developed in varying social and political contexts in China, and how the recent national archaeological park project is structured as an important approach for improving public-archaeology relationships and promoting the public uses of archaeology. Since all archaeological activities in China are exclusively regulated by the state, all archaeological resources are administered for the benefit of the public. As such, concepts of public archaeology demonstrate the efforts of Chinese archaeologists to re-evaluate public-archaeology relationships and uses of archaeology through public engagement as well as archaeological communications with the public. The national archaeological park project was launched in 2006 to expand the practice of archaeology with the creation of archaeological communications, public space, and community-driven programmes. The project facilitates multiple perspectives on public archaeology practice through public education, community cohesion, re-creation of public space, and local economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the emergence of Chinese archaeology, the legislative system of cultural heritage in China included archaeological excavations and investigations as being the ‘exclusive right of state’. This mode of state archaeology has proved its worth by increasing the authority and quality of archaeological research and excavations, as well as enhancing the social values and benefits at the state level. The local communities, however, have hardly been embedded into the archaeological projects, nor have the archaeological projects been employed to improve local and regional economic development. This paper considers private museums as embodying regional values and beneficial to projects under the mode of state archaeology. With a case study outlining collaborations between archaeologists and local agents under the excavation and conservation of ancient kiln sites at the town of Zichuan, I argue that private museums could be relatively prominent platforms for public engagement in activities of state archaeology. It might contribute to a reconsideration of the following: indirect archaeological concerns, local economic benefits, identities and alternative interpretations of locality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The period from the late third millennium BC to the start of the first millennium AD witnesses the first steps towards food globalization in which a significant number of important crops and animals, independently domesticated within China, India, Africa and West Asia, traversed Central Asia greatly increasing Eurasian agricultural diversity. This paper utilizes an archaeobotanical database (AsCAD), to explore evidence for these crop translocations along southern and northern routes of interaction between east and west. To begin, crop translocations from the Near East across India and Central Asia are examined for wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) from the eighth to the second millennia BC when they reach China. The case of pulses and flax (Linum usitatissimum) that only complete this journey in Han times (206 BC–AD 220), often never fully adopted, is also addressed. The discussion then turns to the Chinese millets, Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica, peaches (Amygdalus persica) and apricots (Armeniaca vulgaris), tracing their movement from the fifth millennium to the second millennium BC when the Panicum miliaceum reaches Europe and Setaria italica Northern India, with peaches and apricots present in Kashmir and Swat. Finally, the translocation of japonica rice from China to India that gave rise to indica rice is considered, possibly dating to the second millennium BC. The routes these crops travelled include those to the north via the Inner Asia Mountain Corridor, across Middle Asia, where there is good evidence for wheat, barley and the Chinese millets. The case for japonica rice, apricots and peaches is less clear, and the northern route is contrasted with that through northeast India, Tibet and west China. Not all these journeys were synchronous, and this paper highlights the selective long-distance transport of crops as an alternative to demic-diffusion of farmers with a defined crop package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past two decades, landscape archaeology has undergone a paradigm shift from traditional theoretical methods to being practically oriented, with the advent of the widespread application of philosophical theories (such as phenomenology, hermeneutics, and others) and the emerging new technologies in social sciences. Nevertheless, landscape archaeology has not been able to garner the attention it requires from Chinese archaeology, which fails to understand its significance behind the systematic regional survey methods. Rather, for a long time, the study of the man-land relationship has been considered to be a part of environmental archaeology. Besides, the landscape elements in archaeological excavations were often considered as mechanical interactions between people and the environment, resulting in a lack of holistic and systematic research on a selection of archaeological sites. The focus however has remained restricted to the earthen remains and relics in the archaeological process. The Northern Wei Dynasty was the first nomadic regime to control the Central Plains in the Chinese history and moved its capital three times for the purpose of sinicization. The recent archaeological excavations of the ancient city of Shengle, imperial palaces, tombs, sacrificial sites, gardens, Yinshan palaces, and the border defense facilities during the Shengle period of the Northern Wei Dynasty have revealed several phenomena and evidence of the cultural integration of the various ethnic groups. As mentioned earlier, the limitations in the research horizon have led to the in-depth analysis and research of archaeological relics and archaeological data during this period seeking the desired attention. This study considers landscape archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and history as the primary research methods pertinent to the above situation. It considers archaeological relics and archaeological data from the prosperous period as the research object and thoroughly analyses the relationship between the people and the earthen landscape relics, to reveal the social culture, the religious beliefs, the politics, and the military behind the integration of the multi-ethnic culture, along with the cognition of the natural environments, the social structures, and the religious spaces. Simultaneously, the analysis results would also endeavor to integrate the artifacts, the relics (space, structure, layout, and locational relationship), road grids, surrounding environment, and several other surface space elements to restore and reproduce the prosperous social and cultural situations scenes of the bygone period. The final outcome shall become a typical research case. By comparing and combing the archaeological discoveries of the Northern and the Southern Dynasties of China and the pertinent archaeological data, we could further understand and explain the multi-ethnic cultural development and evolution while providing an essential theoretical basis for the present social and cultural research on the Northern Wei Dynasty in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Handaxe-bearing sites in China are currently known to occur in a number of alluvial basins, the best known being Dingcun, Bose and Luonan. Bose in the south and Luonan in central China on the northern margin of the Qinling Mountains are most familiar to English-speaking researchers. Here we document the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region (DRR) as another major area for large cutting tools (LCTs), located in central China on the southeastern edge of the Qinling Mountains. Large cutting tools are preserved in three terraces of the Han and Dan Rivers in Hubei and Henan Provinces, with dates from ca. 0.8 Ma (millions of years ago) (Terrace 4) to the first half of the Middle Pleistocene (Terrace 3), and possibly to the Late Pleistocene (Terrace 2). This paper reports on LCTs discovered in Terraces 3 and 2, with a majority from the older terrace (and one specimen from Terrace 4). Regional environments during the Middle Pleistocene were relatively warm, humid and stable. Despite the poor quality of raw materials (predominantly quartz phyllite and trachyte for the LCTs), good examples of both handaxes and cleavers are present, plus two types of picks. The LCT technology is compared and contrasted with other Asian industries and with the Acheulean. Overall the DRR LCTs show both technological and morphological similarities with Acheulean LCTs, with some differences that are mainly attributed to raw material properties, subsistence ecology, and 'cultural drift.' The DRR LCTs expand the range of morphological variability of the East Asian material and highlight the need for greater reliance on technological analysis and raw material evaluation for best comparison of Chinese assemblages with the Acheulean tradition., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Understanding the crop management practices of millet agriculture is pivotal for comprehending the development of Chinese civilization. Recent studies have indicated that organic manuring plays a crucial role in ensuring sustainable millet cultivation on the Loess Plateau. However, uncertainties still exist regarding how manuring practices impact the δ15N values of C4 millets compared to C3 cereals. Furthermore, inadequate information on crop δ15N at archaeological sites has led to controversial interpretations of animal and human diets. In this study, we present new findings from an experimental archaeological research conducted in actual loess farmland in China to explore the potential range of variability in grain δ15N values of millets. Our results demonstrate that animal manure significantly increases Setaria and Panicum grain δ15N values, ranging from 2.7 to 9.3‰. Considering trophic enrichment effects on nitrogen isotopes, humans consuming manured millets may yield values ranging from 5.7 to 12.3‰, suggesting alternative explanations for high δ15N values other than animal protein consumption. Opposite to the general hypothesis, the grain δ15N values are systematically lower than those of leaves. The difference between the values of Setaria and Panicum and the process of manure influencing the grain δ15N values are also discussed. Our study provides novel insights into the nitrogen stable isotopic indicator of millet manuring and will serve to set reconstructions of past manuring and diet practices in northern China on a firmer foundation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigs have played a major role in the economic, social and symbolic systems of China since the Early Neolithic more than 8,000 years ago. However, the interaction between the history of pig domestication and transformations in Chinese society since then, have not been fully explored. In this paper, we investigated the co-evolution from the earliest farming communities through to the new political and economic models of state-like societies, up to the Chinese Empire, using 5,000 years of archaeological records from the Xiawanggang (XWG) and Xinzhai (XZ) sites (Henan Province). To trace the changes of pig populations against husbandry practices, we combined the geometric morphometric analysis of dental traits with a study of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from bone collagen. The domestication process intensified during the Neolithic Yangshao, prompted by greater selective pressure and/or better herd control against wild introgression. After that, pig farming, in XWG, relied on local livestock and a gradual change of husbandry practices overtime. This was characterized by a gentle increase in millet foddering and animal protein intake, until a complete change over to household management during the Han dynasty. The only rupture in this steady trend of husbandry occurred during the Longshan period, with the appearance of small sized and idiosyncratic pigs with specific feeding practices (relying on millet and household scraps). From three exploratory hypothesis, we explored the possibility of anti-elite pig production in XWG during the Longshan period, as a means to resist incorporation into a new economic model promoting intensified domestic production. This exploratory hypothesis is the most suitable to our dataset; however, numerous areas need to be explored further in order to adequately document the role of pigs in the rise of China’s complex societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a zooarchaeological analysis of the Longshan period sites of Taosi and Zhoujiazhuang (ca. 2300-1900 cal. BC) in southern Shanxi Province, China. We compare the faunal record at both sites in terms of the proportions of wild and domestic taxa; the slaughter patterns for the main domesticates; the types of bones used to produce utilitarian and decorative bone artifacts; and the types of bones used for ritual oracle bone divination. Differences in the faunal records at Taosi and Zhoujiazhuang provide insights into the connections between specialization and early urbanism. Our research also provides clues about how sheep and cattle pastoralism was initially adopted in the Yellow River Valley during the late 3rd millennium BC. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, much has been learned about the network of interactions in Bronze Age Eurasia, and the importance of the steppe pastoralists in the creation of this network. However, the mechanisms that enabled societies in ancient China (both those bordering on and distant from the steppe) to participate in the Bronze Age Eurasian arena are still poorly understood. Based on the latest archaeological discoveries in China, this article focuses on the participation of four regions of ancient China: the Ejin River Transfer Zone (ERTZ); the western Hexi corridor; central Inner Mongolia; and the middle Yellow River valley. The article analyzes all significant innovations, materials, and technologies transmitted via the Eurasian network and adopted in ancient China, with an emphasis on metallurgy and the variations in the mechanism of its adoption across different societies during the Bronze Age. The introduction of metallurgy into the ERTZ was an economic imperative, although it was profoundly affected by the political landscape in the middle Yellow River valley. Through analysis and comparison, this paper argues that the participation of different societies of ancient China in the Bronze Age Eurasian network can best be understood in the local and regional contexts, which were deeply embedded in their natural and cultural landscapes, rather than as the result of the pull from the steppe pastoralists alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immovable historical relics in some archeology museums of China suffer deterioration due to their improper preservation environment. The existing environmental control systems used in archeology museums are often designed for the amenities of visitors, and these manipulated environments are often inappropriate for the conservation of abiotic relics. This paper points out that the large open space of the existing archeology museum could be a cause of deterioration of the relics from the point of view of indoor air convective flow. The paper illustrates the need to introduce a local pit environmental control, which could reintegrate a pit primitive environment for the preservation of the historical relics by using an air curtain system, orientated to isolate the unearthed relics, semiexposed in pits to the large gallery open space of the exhibition hall.

This essay explores and critiques the creation of female origin myths in the archaeology of Neolithic China. The first example is the debate surrounding the gender relations in the Yangshao culture. The second half of the paper focuses on whether or not the possible goddess worship in the Hongshan culture can shed light on the understanding of women. It concludes by stating this kind of gynocentric archaeology does not provide an accurate picture of gender in Neolithic China, or propel the feminist agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Archaeobotany, the study of plant remains from sites of ancient human activity, provides data for studying the initial evolution of domesticated plants. An important background to this is defining the domestication syndrome, those traits by which domesticated plants differ from wild relatives. These traits include features that have been selected under the conditions of cultivation. From archaeological remains the easiest traits to study are seed size and in cereal crops the loss of natural seed dispersal., Scope: The rate at which these features evolved and the ordering in which they evolved can now be documented for a few crops of Asia and Africa. This paper explores this in einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) from the Near East, rice (Oryza sativa) from China, mung (Vigna radiata) and urd (Vigna mungo) beans from India, and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) from west Africa. Brief reference is made to similar data on lentils (Lens culinaris), peas (Pisum sativum), soybean (Glycine max) and adzuki bean (Vigna angularis). Available quantitative data from archaeological finds are compiled to explore changes with domestication. The disjunction in cereals between seed size increase and dispersal is explored, and rates at which these features evolved are estimated from archaeobotanical data. Contrasts between crops, especially between cereals and pulses, are examined., Conclusions: These data suggest that in domesticated grasses, changes in grain size and shape evolved prior to non-shattering ears or panicles. Initial grain size increases may have evolved during the first centuries of cultivation, within perhaps 500-1000 years. Non-shattering infructescences were much slower, becoming fixed about 1000-2000 years later. This suggests a need to reconsider the role of sickle harvesting in domestication. Pulses, by contrast, do not show evidence for seed size increase in relation to the earliest cultivation, and seed size increase may be delayed by 2000-4000 years. This implies that conditions that were sufficient to select for larger seed size in Poaceae were not sufficient in Fabaceae. It is proposed that animal-drawn ploughs (or ards) provided the selection pressure for larger seeds in legumes. This implies different thresholds of selective pressure, for example in relation to differing seed ontogenetics and underlying genetic architecture in these families. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) may show some similarities to the pulses in terms of a lag-time before truly larger-grained forms evolved.

From a detailed analysis of published and unpublished sources, we constructed a digitized three-dimensional, stratigraphically-controlled excavation grid of Zhoukoudian Locality 1 in order to assess the spatial relationships of the excavated materials. All 15 fossil Homo erectus loci were mapped on the grid. Meter cubes were used in excavation starting in 1934, and Loci H through O, established between 1934 and 1937, were mapped to within 1 m(3)vertical and horizontal provenience. Loci A through G, established between 1921 and 1933, were excavated in the northernmost part of Locality 1 by unmapped quarrying, but their stratigraphic levels were recorded. We could localize Loci A through G on the grid system by utilizing locations of remaining walls, stratigraphic sections, excavation reports, excavation maps, and photographs. Loci contained skeletal elements of Homo erectus individuals scattered over areas of the cave floor of up to 9 m in diameter. Scoring of taphonomic damage on the Homo erectus sample, as observed on casts and originals, demonstrates that 67% of the hominid sample shows bite marks or other modifications ascribed to large mammalian carnivores, particularly the large Pleistocene cave hyena, Pachycrocuta brevirostris. Virtually all of the remaining Homo erectus skeletal assemblage shows breakage consistent with this taphonomic pattern of fragmentation. Bioturbation by digging carnivores is the most likely explanation for a fragment of Homo erectus Skull XI discovered 1 m below its other conjoined portions in Locus L. Carbon on all the Homo erectus fossils from Locus G, a circumscribed area of 1-meter diameter, earlier taken to indicate burning, cooking, and cannibalism, is here interpreted as detrital carbon deposited under water, perhaps the result of hyaenid caching behavior. Locus G records the close stratigraphic and horizontal association of stone artifacts with Homo erectus and other vertebrate skeletal elements, an association that is seen at other loci as well. Layer 4 of the excavation contains equid cranial bone previously interpreted to have been burned while fresh. We here document that Locus B Homo erectus, including Skull I, is stratigraphically associated with this evidence, but at some 10-12 m distance. Even though the presence of wood-stoked fires and hearths is not supported by geochemical results, evidence of fire at Locality 1 in the form of burned bone is confirmed. Contextual relationships of fossil skeletal elements, relationships of carnivore damage and stone tool cutmarks on bone, and evidence of the burning of fresh bone associated with Homo erectus and stone tools support a model of transient hominid scavenging aided by the use of fire at the large hyenid den that became Zhoukoudian Locality 1. Although the original excavation catalogue from Locality 1, as well as a significant number of fossils and stone artifacts, were lost during World War II, catalogue numbers on the many surviving specimens can be used to locate fossils and artifacts within the three-dimensional grid provided in this paper.

In this paper, I examine the relationship between the construction of history by the textual history of early imperial China and by Chinese archaeology in the second half of the twentieth century, considering how these two fields of scholarship were directed by ideologies of the Chinese government. The locus for this investigation is the complex of imperial ancestral temples constructed by the emperor Wang Mang (r. 9–23 CE) for his brief interregnum dynasty. Although this group of buildings is described in the official dynastic history, compiled only fifty years after its construction, as having nine temple buildings with specific ancestors ascribed to each, its archaeological excavation in the late 1950s instead revealed twelve temples in a carefully organized plan. The discrepancy between the original construction of the temple complex and its subsequent revision in textual history is revealing in terms of the relationship between received tradition and individual action in the context of establishing imperial legitimacy, whereas the modern attempts to reconcile the discrepancy between textual history and excavated history are indicative of the relationship between Chinese archaeology of that period and the nationalist revision of history. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: This paper presents an archaeological–palaeopathological case study from Turfan (western China). Although this area is located outside of the two focus regions of the special issue (Baikal and Hokkaido), it once belonged to the same cultural sphere and experienced intensive contacts and exchanges with the neighbouring regions. The case study presented here combines detailed palaeopathological analysis of human skeletal remains with precise age determination and archaeological and regional contexts, demonstrating the high potential of such studies in arid and semi-arid China. The current paper also presents an unusual early case of prosthetic leg use from western China. The skeleton of a 50–65-year-old man and his wooden leg prosthesis discovered in a tomb in Shengjindian graveyard (Turfan, China) have been examined. Macroscopic lesions observed on ribs two to eleven, between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebra, and on the left knee joint are probably due to tuberculosis infection. The inflammatory process led to osseous ankylosis of the knee, fixing it at 135° flexion and 11° internal rotation, making walking impossible. The lost mobility of the disabled shank was regained by using an externally fitted wooden prosthesis which consists of thigh stabilizer, peg, leather straps, sheep/goat horn reinforcement of the peg tip, and horse/Asiatic ass hoof as sink resistance. Heavy traces of wear and absence of muscle atrophy indicate long-term use of the prosthesis. Ten radiocarbon dates on the prosthesis, human bones and wood pieces from the same grave suggest the most probable age of the burial is about 300–200 BC (68% confidence interval), thus introducing the oldest functional leg prosthesis known to date. The results provide some support for a DNA-based hypothesis that the spread of tuberculosis in Asia was related to intensified inter-regional contacts and higher residential mobility during the first millennium BC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) attribute technology has been applied to many aspects in recent years but there are very few examples in the field of archaeology. Especially how can we extract effective attributes from the two- or three-dimensional radar data so that we can map and describe numerous archaeological targets in a large cultural site? In this paper, we applied GPR attribute technology to investigate the ancient Nanzhao castle-site in Tengchong, Yunnan Province. In order to get better archaeological target (the ancient wall, the ancient kiln site, and the ancient tomb) analysis and description, we collated the GPR data by collected standardization and then put them to the seismic data processing and interpretation workstation. The data was processed, including a variety of GPR attribute extraction, analysis, and optimization and combined with the archaeological drilling data. We choose the RMS Amplitude, Average Peak Amplitude, Instantaneous Phase, and Maximum Peak Time to interpret three archaeological targets. By comparative analysis, we have clarified that we should use different attributes to interpret different archaeological targets and the results of attribute analysis after horizon tracking is much better than the results based on a time slice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1950s, archaeological excavations of imperial-clan burials have provided significant insights into the religious beliefs, aesthetic preferences, social structures, and economic practices of imperial family members. This article surveys archaeological findings on intact king/spouse tombs and the Ding Imperial Mausoleum, analyzing how princely burial construction, planning, commissions, decoration, and ritual practices reflected contemporary political reality. As a comparative and comprehensive study that examines variations in burials due to region, status, and artistic traditions, this paper reconstructs the position of princes and how Ming imperial power was observed and controlled. By drawing on a largely overlooked body of evidence provided by material culture, new avenues are opened for further exploration of the practices surrounding death, burials, and commemoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase identification based on nondestructive analytical techniques using portable equipment is ideal for the analysis of art and archaeological objects. Portable(p)-XRF and p-Raman are very widely used for this purpose, yet p-XRD is relatively rare despite its importance for the analysis of crystalline materials. This paper overviews 6 types of p-XRD systems developed for analysis of art and archaeological materials. The characteristics of each system are compared. One of the p-XRD systems developed by the authors was brought to many museums as well as many archeological sites in Egypt and Syria to characterize the cultural heritage artifacts, e.g., amulet made of Egyptian blue, blue painted pottery, and Islamic pottery from Egypt, jade from China, variscite from Syria, a Japanese classic painting drawn by Korin Ogata, and oil paintings drawn by Taro Okamoto. Practical application data are shown to demonstrate the potential ability of the method for analysis of various art and archaeological materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a Levantine model for the origins of cultivation of various wild plants as motivated by the vagaries of the climatic fluctuation of the Younger Dryas within the context of the mosaic ecology of the region that affected communities that were already sedentary or semisedentary. In addition to holding to their territories, these communities found ways to intensify their food procurement strategy by adopting intentional growth of previously known annuals, such as a variety of cereals. The Levantine sequence, where Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene Neolithic archaeology is well known, is employed as a model for speculating on the origins of millet cultivation in northern China, where both the archaeological data and the dates are yet insufficient to document the evolution of socioeconomic changes that resulted in the establishment of an agricultural system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past 10 years, flotation techniques have been introduced and implemented in Chinese archaeology. As a result, a tremendous quantity of plant remains have been recovered from archaeological sites located all over China. These plant remains include crops that might have been domesticated in China—such as rice, foxtail millet, broomcorn millet, and soybean—as well as crops that were introduced into China from other parts of world—such as wheat and barley. The new archaeobotanic data provide direct archaeological evidence for the study of the origins and development of agriculture in China. This paper attempts a synthesis of these new archaeobotanic data while presenting some new ideas about the origins and development of ancient agriculture in China, including the rice agriculture tradition that originated around the middle and lower Yangtze River areas; the dry-land agriculture tradition, with millets as major crops, centered in North China; and the ancient tropical agriculture tradition located in the tropical parts of China, where the major crops seem to be roots and tubers, such as taro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interdisciplinary study of cultural heritage has become a scholarly hotspot in archaeology. Ancient jade serves as an important symbol of Chinese traditional culture, so the study of it is a critical part of this trend. The past 30 years have witnessed great progress in research on ancient jade, with the involvement of basic theory and the technological application of many science subjects. This paper summarizes the research status, methodology and prospects in the research on raw material (jade texture), provenance and secondary change of Chinese ancient jade, in the hope of benefiting future studies of ancient jade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines shamanism and related religious phenomena in ancient China by exploring myths, legends, and histories described in transmitted texts; relevant archaeological data; and modern ethnographic records. Definitions and terminological issues are addressed, and a three-stage evolutionary sequence is suggested for the development of religion in China (primitive religion, polytheistic religion, and monotheistic religion). The terminological distinctions for religious practitioners are also presented, including magicians, sorcerers, and priests. Archaeological evidence for religious activities before the emergence of complex societies helps to fill in some of the gaps found in the textual records that relate legends ascribed to these early periods. The varying roles of magicians/shamans in the formation of complex societies in North China are examined. Finally, the rich evidence for shamanism in South China is surveyed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the results of an environmental archaeology research project on Neolithic period shell mound sites of the north and south coasts of the Jiaodong Peninsula of eastern Shandong Province, China. This study included investigations of the geology, topology, and archaeology of the shell mound sites and their environs, with data derived through site survey, coring, and test excavations, as well as zooarchaeological analyses, palynological analysis of soil samples, and radiocarbon determinations on shell samples from the shell mounds. When joined with previous research on the archaeological cultures and natural environment of the Shandong Peninsula, the results of this project can be used to gain further insight into such issues as the relationship between the environment and human activities and subsistence strategies at the shell mound sites, human adaptation to the environment and impact on the environment, and the possible cultural and natural causes for the abandonment of the shell mound sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is a crucial region for investigating the relationship between climate change and hominin evolution across diverse terrestrial ecosystems. With the continuous development of palaeoclimatology, chronology, and archaeology, the environmental and hominin record of the Early and Middle Pleistocene in China is steadily accumulating, shedding light on the effects of climate change on the distribution of early human settlements and population dynamics. However, the migration and dispersal of these early humans within long-term climate fluctuations and their underlying mechanisms remain to be clarified. Based on the spatial-temporal distribution of 95 Early to Middle Pleistocene archaeological sites in China, we found that intensified hominin activities gradually shifted southward under the influence of multiple glacial–interglacial cycles. The frequent bidirectional movements of these early humans between north and south were assumed as follows. During glacial periods, hominins living in North China migrated to southern areas, while inter-glacial periods witnessed the northward expansion of hominins inhabiting South China. Among all the potential driving mechanisms, we suggest that the available resources in terrestrial ecosystems may be the most fundamental factor. Combined with paleoenvironmental and archaeological records, we provide an Asian perspective for a better understanding of how the glacial–interglacial cycles shaped early human evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As one of the world's oldest civilizations, China has a continuous history that extends for more than 5000 years. There are many important capital cities throughout China. However, little information is available in the literature about capital city sites using remote sensing because of its various geographical conditions. This paper designs new methodologies for detecting archaeological features in Northern and Southern China based on multi-source remotely sensed data. Based on various environmental factors, multitemporal images were interpreted to analyse an ancient city located in Southern China, while the integral of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series and thermal infrared images were employed to detect the archaeological features in Northern China; these results were then cross-compared with each other. The results demonstrate that the use of integrated remote sensing technology can provide valuable information and indications of archaeological remains in ancient capital city sites in different geomorphological and vegetated environments in China. Our results also demonstrate that capital city sites can be detected using the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shuidonggou (SDG) attracts scholars who are interested in Late Paleolithic of China, even east Asia, from generation to generation since 1923 when rich lithic artifacts and animal fossils were discovered at locality 1. During the past almost one century, many excavations have been conducted by different institutes at different localities of SDG. Numerous data has been obtained and tens of thousands of artifacts were yielded. The understanding of nature and context of SDG is increasing gradually with the repeated excavation and in-depth research. The present paper reviewed the formal excavations and achievements in SDG. Especially, a series investigations and excavations since 2002 have been emphasized. After this long-term fieldwork, the geographic range of SDG has extended far beyond the range suggested by previous findings. The presence of discrete cultural horizons at various SDG localities indicate repeated use and occupation of the area by early human groups between 50–10 kya with a gap in LGM. During the repeated occupations, diverse and complex behaviors including gathering various plants, heat treatment preparation for knapping, making ornaments, engraving were identified using different kinds of methods and techniques by scholars. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on pollen analysis suggests that late Pleistocene/early Holocene human utilization of the SDG area occurred primarily around 32–24 kya and 13–11 kya when climatic conditions were more favorable. Years of excavations and researches make progress with nature of SDG. However, the issues about Initial Upper Paleolithic assemblages in SDG, origin/disappearance of Levallois-like technology in China are still open to debate. Further excavation and research at SDG1 will clarify these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]