East Asia

Shandong, China

Photos: Top, excavation of Liangchengzhen: remains of round adobe house discovered in 2000. Left, gui pitcher. Right, ding tripod. Both vessels were excavated from the Longshan regional center of Liangchengzhen in the Rizhao area of Shandong province, China. Middle, ongoing research with Prof. Wang Fen (left in photo) involves compositional analysis of Longshan ceramics in the Rizhao region (including Liangchengzhen).

The focus on the archaeology of China at Yale includes diverse research taking place in collaboration with colleagues across China. On the east coast Dr. Anne Underhill is undertaking investigations into early complex societies around the Neolithic site of Liangchengzhen in Shandong Province. Liangchengzhen is a regional center from the Longshan period (c. 2500-1900 BC). Graduate student’s research involves work on early writing and human sacrifice at the Shang Dynasty capital of Anyang and investigations of craft production and social organization during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age in Gansu Province. These varied investigations allow for new views on a wide variety of topics relevant to our understanding of the trajectory of Chinese civilization.