Chinese archaeology

Chinese archaeology studies China’s past through material remains, including settlements, burials, artifacts, and landscapes. It combines excavation with scientific analysis and historical interpretation.

Archaeological excavation: The systematic uncovering and recording of buried material remains. Stratigraphic excavation establishes where Chinese finds occurred and how they relate in time.
Sanxingdui: An archaeological site in Sichuan known for distinctive bronze masks, figures, and ritual deposits. Its finds reveal a Bronze Age culture unlike the better-known Central Plains traditions.
Archaeometry: The application of scientific measurement and laboratory analysis to archaeological materials. It helps identify the composition, age, and production history of Chinese artifacts.
Chinese epigraphy: The study of inscriptions on materials such as bronze, stone, and oracle bones. Antiquarian study of inscriptions supplied methods and questions later taken up by archaeology.
Xia dynasty: A traditionally recorded early Chinese dynasty whose historical status remains debated. Archaeological sites such as Erlitou are central to attempts to test claims about its existence.
Archaeological stratigraphy: The study of layered deposits to reconstruct the sequence of past activity. Layer relationships help date Chinese sites even when written records are absent.
Terracotta Army: A large assemblage of life-sized terracotta figures buried near the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. The burial complex illuminates Qin imperial power, military organization, and funerary practice.
Dendrochronology: The dating of wood by matching its annual growth-ring sequence to established chronologies. Where preserved timber survives, tree rings can date Chinese buildings and burials precisely.
Wang Guowei: A Chinese scholar known for combining textual study with evidence from oracle-bone and bronze inscriptions. His method connected excavated inscriptions with early historical records.
Erlitou culture: A Bronze Age archaeological culture centered on the Erlitou site in Henan. Its palatial remains and bronzes inform debates about early state formation and the Xia.

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