Leadership Strategies, Economic Activity, and Interregional Interaction: Social Complexity in Northeast China

by Gideon Shelach, Jeremy A. Sabloff (Foreword by)

Overview

An attempt to render Chinese archaeology more accessible to Western readers through a detailed case study of approximately 16,000 years of cultural development in northeastern China. The author addresses prehistoric sociopolitical processes in the Dongbei region through an analysis of both his and other researchers' field data and demonstrates the potential contribution of conducting archaeological research into anthropology-related issues in China.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441933140
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	11/19/2010
Series:	Fundamental Issues in Archaeology
Edition description:	2002
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.24(d)

Table of Contents

Reconciling the Dichotomies.- The Paradigm of Chinese Archaeology and the Archaeology of Northeast China.- Hongshan and Related Cultures (c. 4500–2200 B.C.).- Lower Xiajiadian Period (c.2200–1600B.C.).- Upper Xiajiadian Period (c. 1000–600 B.C.).- Warring-States to the Han (5th Century B.C to 3rd Century A.D.) and Liao (10th to 12th Century A.D.) Periods.- Diachronic Analysis of Processes in the Chifeng Area and Northeast China.- Conclusions and Suggestions for Future Archaeological Research in the Chifeng Area.

Editorial Reviews

‘The book is a model in methodology and organization, and it is an extremely important contribution to the accessible archaeological data on sites in China. Shelach should be congratulated for successfully conducting archaeological research as a foreigner in China...'
Antiquity, 74:285 (2000)
‘Chinese specialists naturally welcome this work, which supplies important comparative material for students of complex societies. ...this book is a significant contribution to the archaeological study of complex societies in general, and it succeeds in stimulating a range of important questions in the study of Chinese complex societies in particular.'
Journal of Anthropological Research, 57 (2001)

From the Publisher

In this study of thousands of years of development in China's Chifeng Region, Shelach (anthropology, The Hebrew U., Jerusalem), emphasizing the current anthropological view that cultures are heterogeneous and variable, focuses on sociopolitical strategies of many different cultural social segments. He examines geography, economics, political organization, and sociopolitical complexities through graves and ritual areas; artifacts of bone, bronze, and stone; and habitation sites, while at the same time moving beyond standard archaeological techniques into anthropological questions and issues. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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