Introduction

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ID: 322116
2026
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Abstract
Abstract This chapter sets out the scope and aims of the volume. It argues for the importance of understanding the specificity of archaeological history and practice in the Sinophone world to the global discipline of archaeology. It provides historical context for the discipline, beginning with evidence of antiquarian collecting as far back as the Shang dynasty, and introduces the emergence of the term currently used for ‘archaeology’ in China, kaogu 考古, in antiquarian scholarship of the Song dynasty. The flourishing of practices linked with this scholarship in the late Qing dynasty foreshadowed the emergence of a modern, scientific, systematic archaeology in the 1920s. This chapter also discusses the technical specificities of Chinese archaeology across the 20th and 21st centuries, providing context such as the emergence of heritage protection, interaction with scholars from around the world, the development of local training programmes, and the impact of political events on research. It concludes in the contemporary era, exploring dramatic increases in Chinese state support for archaeology over the past decade especially. It considers areas of growth in archaeological research, especially in archaeological sciences and in state-sponsored projects like the Search for the Origins of Chinese Civilisation. Finally, it considers the coexistence within contemporary China of cutting-edge scientific archaeology and rich regionally specific finds with much older scholarly traditions and preoccupations, such as the problem of locating the origins of Chinese civilisation.
Reference Key
openalex_W7170065314 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Anke HEIN, Julia Lovell
Journal Oxford University Press eBooks
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197800324.013.0052
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197800324.013.0052
Keywords Keywords not found

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