The Impact of Science on Chinese Archaeology

Clicks: 1
ID: 322043
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal

Ranked #1,481 of 1,518 articles by views in Oxford University Press eBooks

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 1,518 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract This chapter discusses how the notion of science has been conceptualised in and influenced the development of Chinese archaeology since before its founding in the 1920s. This conceptualisation has its roots in the Chinese classics and has been shaped by social conditions over time. It has been productive of approaches impacting the practice of Chinese archaeology. As perceptions of ‘science’ may differ between cultures and contexts, the contents of what is called ‘scientific archaeology’ may also vary. This evolving paradigm necessitates investigations within the contexts of various temporal stages. Chinese intellectuals, who lived through a national existential crisis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, for instance, had a propensity to attribute great importance to practical applications of natural sciences, believing that they might provide solutions for the country. The dedication of Chinese archaeologists to the sciences has had a major impact on their approach to reconstructing the past and interpreting findings. Such reconstruction has been a balancing act between the production of knowledge and public interest. Meanwhile, the incorporation of approaches from several disciplines, including from the hard sciences, has changed the nature of Chinese archaeology. Different attitudes towards collaboration have, on the one hand, been influenced by academic trends and social needs, and on the other hand, caused archaeology to move between the human, social, and natural sciences. Examining instances of interdisciplinary studies can offer insights into the impact of this cross-fertilisation of disciplines on the training of future archaeologists.
Reference Key
openalex_W7170031554 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Kuei‐chen Lin, Pochan Chen
Journal Oxford University Press eBooks
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197800324.013.0027
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197800324.013.0027
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.