The Archaeology of Han China

Alice Yao is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago. An anthropological archaeologist, she is the author of The Ancient Highlands of Southwest China (2016). Her decade-long collaborations with Chinese archaeologists have resulted in the uncovering of ruins of indigenous societies and Han administrative towns in Yunnan, which was recognized as one of the top ten archaeological discoveries in 2022. Wengcheong Lam is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of History at the Chinese University in Hong Kong. An archaeometallurgist, he is the author of Connectivity, Imperialism, and the Han Iron Industry.

Introduction; Part I. Imperial Geography: 1. Imperial geography of the capital and core macro-regions; 2. Imperial geography and border formations in the Ordos and Lingnan regions; Part II. Food Production and Foodways: 3. Crop production in the Guanzhong Basin; 4. Crop production in the Yellow River valley and the New Territories; Part III. Crafts: 5. Craft production and consumption in the capital and Yellow River Macro-regions; 6. Craft production and consumption in the Hexi and Lingnan regions; Part IV. Death Ritual: 7. The (un)dead and the role of ritual in the crafting of sociopolitical networks; 8. Mourning practices and the cultivation of selves – views from the Hexi, Ordos, and Lingnan.