This course introduces current issues in Chinese Archaeology to MA level students of Sinology, in order to investigate cultural change in what is now China. It addresses early interaction during the Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, and early historic periods (c. 2000 BCE–300 CE). It focuses on the material culture of northwestern and northern China, but constantly refers to links with remains elsewhere on the Chinese mainland, as well as in Inner Asia, Central Asia, and beyond. Sites as well as objects are discussed in order to investigate networks of interaction, and issues of exchange, identity, and migration, in a supra-regional context. The course pays special attention to recent archaeological discoveries and current scholarly issues, but also reviews old excavations and theories. The students are encouraged to adopt a critical research attitude towards past societies, and reflect on different approaches and research tools. They are challenged to question methodological paradigms and historical narratives that have profoundly influenced archaeological practice in China.

Semester: WT 2018/19
ePortfolio: No