Archaeological Research on Ancient Chinese Tombs

Author: Dong Xinlin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: The 20th century was a period of intense transformation and rapid development in Chinese history. The modernization process that began in the mid-19th century accelerated in the 20th century, completing the historical shift from tradition to modernity. Academic research is an integral part of a society's culture and reflects the same historical changes. The 20th century saw the emergence of numerous academic luminaries and a wealth of academic classics in Chinese humanities, and Chinese academic research gradually established a modern system of academic thought studies in this century. Studying and summarizing the history of 20th-century humanities academic development is not only an examination of the century-long achievements in academic research across various disciplines but also a collective reflection on the modernization process of Chinese academic research, with profound significance. This book reviews and synthesizes the important excavations and research on ancient Chinese tombs over the past century, aiming to provide a rough outline of the academic development of ancient Chinese tomb archaeology, a significant component of 20th-century Chinese archaeology. The book focuses on the major discoveries and comprehensive research on tombs from prehistoric times to the Ming Dynasty. Organized by era, it broadly covers prehistoric times, the Xia, Shang, and Zhou periods, the Qin and Han periods, the Three Kingdoms, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Sui and Tang periods, the Northern and Southern Song periods, the Liao, Jin, and Yuan periods, and the Ming Dynasty. Based on important archaeological discoveries and key research works, it provides a relatively comprehensive and objective review of ancient Chinese tomb archaeology over the past century, emphasizing the aspects of imperial tombs and noble and commoner burials. It strives to depict the development trajectory and overall academic research level of 20th-century ancient Chinese tomb archaeology, reflecting the glorious achievements of ancient Chinese tomb archaeology over the past century, especially in the past half-century since 1950.