The archaeology of China is researched intensively in the universities of the region and also attracts considerable international interest on account of the region's civilizations. Scholar-officials during the Song dynasty (960–1279) who took up antiquarian pursuits were the first to systematically analyze objects and monuments from China's antiquity. The application of modern scientific archaeology to Chinese sites began in 1921, when Johan Gunnar Andersson first excavated the Yangshao Village sites in Henan.[1]
Andersson believed that prehistoric Chinese culture had a "Western Origin". In fact, most archaeologists at that time believed that all human civilizations, including Chinese, originated in the broader Middle East and then spread to different regions of the world.[2] This statement caused an uproar in China. Chinese archaeologists hope to find evidence to refute this argument, which has led to a series of Chinese-led archaeological projects.
Excavations from 1928 at Anyang, also in northern Henan, by the newly formed Academia Sinica by anthropologist Li Ji uncovered a literate civilization identified with the late stages of the Shang dynasty of early Chinese records. Earlier cities in northern Henan were discovered at Zhengzhou in 1952 and Erlitou in 1959. More recently prehistoric cities such as Panlongcheng and Sanxingdui have been discovered in other parts of China.
- ^ Fan, Ka-wai (2004). "Review of the Web Sites for Chinese Archaeology" (PDF). ASLIB Proceedings: New Information Perspectives. 56 (4): 255–264.
- ^ Peng, Peng (October 1, 2021). "Decentralizing the Origin of Civilization: Early Archaeological Efforts in China". History of Humanities. 6 (2): 515–548. doi:10.1086/715935. ISSN 2379-3163. S2CID 244133983.