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100 Years of Archaeological Research in China (1921-2021): A Space-Based Perspective

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A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Landscape Archaeology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 24079

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lei Luo

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Guest Editor

1. Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100864, China
2. International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage under the Auspices of UNESCO, Beijing 100094, China
Interests: remote sensing; GIS; space archaeology; machine learning in archaeology; heritage conservation and sustainability; historical geography; big Earth data
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Lijun Yu

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Guest Editor

Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: remote sensing for archaeology; archaeological feature detection; GIS-based archaeological predictive modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jianguo Liu

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Guest Editor

Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing 100710, China
Interests: digital archaeology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Hui Wang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Archaeological Science, Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
Interests: neolithic–bronze age archaeology; silk road archaeology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Hui Fang

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Institute of Cultural Heritage, School of History and Culture, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
Interests: archaeology of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties; archaeological theory and history of archaeology; cultural heritage protection
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Prof. Dr. Gang Li

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National Museum of China, Beijing 100006, China
Interests: aerial archaeology; remote sensing survey of large archaeological sites and mining and smelting sites
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Dr. Hai Zhang

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Department of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: Chinese neolithic archaeology; landscape archaeology; GIS in archaeology
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Dr. Jie He

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Guest Editor

School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: spatial humanities and digital humanities; landscape archaeology and cultural landscape heritage; big data in environmental behavior; geodesign, green infrastructure and leisure activities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Shaohua Wang

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Guest Editor

School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Interests: digital cultural heritage; remote sensing archaeology; smart museum; cultural big data
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Dr. Ruixia Yang

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Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
Interests: digital environmental archaeology; remote sensing for archaeology and heritage conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Peng Lu

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Institute of Geography, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450052, China
Interests: digital archaeology; environmental archaeology; settlement archaeology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Zhe Li

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Guest Editor

School of Mongolian Studies, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China
Interests: archaeological remote sensing; cultural heritages digital protection; landscape archaeology; archaeological GIS; historical GIS; synthetic aperture radar signal processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In 1921, China’s first official archaeological excavation campaign was carried out at Yangshao village of today’s Sanmenxia city, in the Henan Province, marking the birth of modern Chinese Archaeology. The discovery of Yangshao has confirmed that there was a very developed painted-pottery culture in Neolithic China. Forty years later, the first remote sensing-based archaeological survey in China was conducted in Sanmenxia too. In this pioneering survey, Chinese archaeologists and remote sensing experts used aerial photographs to detect and map the distribution of ancient sites and tombs around the areas planned for the construction of the Sanmenxia Reservior. After that, spatial information technologies, such as remote sensing and GIS, have played an important role in discovering, monitoring, mapping and protecting many important archaeological sites and cultural heritages in China.

Over the past 100 years, we have witnessed the rapid development of science and technology and the continuous expansion of the applications of spatial information techniques to address a wide range of archaeological issues. We would like to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Chinese Archaeology by publishing this Special Issue to provide overviews and achievements of archaeological research in China from a space-based perspective. This Special Issue will consist of a large set of domestic contributions for the major fields in Chinese Archaeology as pertinent to space-based solutions to archaeological purposes. We welcome contributions that can synthesize the current state of knowledge, summarize existing issues and challenges, and provide new insights for future research and development in a certain field of archaeology in China using space information technologies. Submissions covering a wide range of space and time are mostly encouraged.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Remote Sensing.

Dr. Lei Luo
Dr. Lijun Yu
Prof. Jianguo Liu
Prof. Dr. Hui Wang
Prof. Hui Fang
Prof. Dr. Gang Li
Dr. Hai Zhang
Dr. Jie He
Dr. Shaohua Wang
Dr. Ruixia Yang
Dr. Peng Lu
Dr. Zhe Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

spatial information technology
remote sensing
GIS
geophysical prospecting and acoustic sensing
landscape archaeology
geoarchaeology
environmental archaeology
settlement archaeology
Silk Road
Great Wall and Grand Canal of China
Chinese Neolithic and Bronze Age
Chinese historical periods
burial geomancy and Fengshui
cultural heritage protection and sustainability
big data
machine learning

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 11080 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water Conservancy System and Urban Layout of Yinxu, the Capital City of Shang: A GIS Approach

by Yin Wang, Zhen Qin, Weidong Hou and Michael Storozum

Land 2022, 11(7), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11070986 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3164

Abstract

Archaeological work began in 1928 at Yinxu (also known as Yin Ruins), the site of the capital of the late Shang Dynasty, and the continuous excavations have yielded the discovery of numerous remains and relics. The late Shang Dynasty was the zenith of China’s Bronze Age, and research on various aspects of Yinxu has gained attention among Chinese and international archaeologists. The layout of Yinxu, especially the water conservancy systems, has become a popular subject of research in recent years. Nevertheless, quantitative research is lacking in the existing literature. Using geographic information systems (GIS) allows such research to be carried out. This study used the hydrology and density analysis modules of ArcGIS software to study the water system and urban layout of Yinxu quantitatively. The results show that the water conservancy system altered the surface runoff pattern of the city and effectively harnessed limited local water resources. The system, centered on artificial channels, was built during the Second Phase of Yinxu, largely because of climate change and the city’s expansion. Its construction, in turn, profoundly affected the layout of the city. Dwellings and handicraft workshops clustered around areas with abundant water resources; together with the Huan River, the large-scale water conservancy facilities acted as partitions that practically isolated the “central zone”, creating a wall-less defense system that differs from other capital cities in the Bronze Age of China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 100 Years of Archaeological Research in China (1921-2021): A Space-Based Perspective)

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13 pages, 2455 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping Panlongcheng: New Work on the Type-Site of the Early Shang Period (1500–1300 BC) in Hubei Province, China

by Xin Su, Qiushi Zou, Shuchun Yao, Chunhai Li, Sanyuan Zhu and Changping Zhang

Land 2021, 10(10), 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10101033 - 1 Oct 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2149

Abstract

Recent work at the early Shang period type site in Panlongcheng, Hubei Province, China, provides a new understanding of changes in the landscape and water environment over time. In the past few decades, the research at this site has obtained important results and shown progress in many aspects, but few scholars have discussed the geomorphological environment of Panlongcheng, especially the water environment. Researchers have long believed that the present-day environment and landscape of Panlongcheng are no different than during the early Shang period. However, recent archaeological discoveries indicate that there may still be some cultural remains underwater. Therefore, we used a combination of underwater surveys, drilling and digital mapping to expand our knowledge of the landscape of Panlongcheng during the early Shang period. This included mapping the lake basin using single-beam echo sounders and drilling to preliminarily observe the stratum and collect samples from underwater. We also conducted radiocarbon dating on the samples collected from the bottom of the lake. The results suggest that there might not have been a lake during the early Shang period. Therefore, the landscape and environment of Panlongcheng and other related issues should be reexamined. In addition, we hope the methods used in this study can provide a reference for related archaeological work in shallow water areas in inland China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 100 Years of Archaeological Research in China (1921-2021): A Space-Based Perspective)

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20 pages, 20271 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping the Medieval Wall System of China and Mongolia: A Multi-Method Approach

by Michael Storozum, Dan Golan, Ido Wachtel, Zhidong Zhang, Johannes S. Lotze and Gideon Shelach-Lavi

Land 2021, 10(10), 997; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10100997 - 23 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4237

Abstract

The Medieval Wall System of China and Mongolia is one of the longest wall systems in the world, but its specific chronology, function, and purpose remain ambiguous. Constructed at various points throughout the 10th to 13th centuries CE, this network of walls, forts, and enclosures covers an estimated 4000 km and spans a wide range of ecozones, from the deserts of western China to the steppes of northern Mongolia and the Khingan mountain range. In this article we used historical atlases, topographic maps, and an array of different kinds of data derived from satellite remote sensing, to produce one of the first accurate maps of the Medieval Wall System. Through this large-scale mapping program, we are now able to evaluate previous work that estimates the length of the wall system and different areas of construction. By measuring the structures associated with the wall and the length of the wall itself, we identified at least three different areas of construction along the Medieval Wall System. Future studies may be able to use similar tools to develop more accurate maps of other wall systems throughout Eurasia to further advance the comparative study of ancient wall systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 100 Years of Archaeological Research in China (1921-2021): A Space-Based Perspective)

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16 pages, 4822 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Expansion of Human Settlement during the Longshan Period (~4.5–~3.9 ka BP) and Its Hydroclimatic Contexts in the Lower Yellow River Floodplain, Eastern China

by Kaifeng Li, Wenhua Gao, Li Wu, Hainan Hu, Panpan Gong, Suyuan Li, Rui Jin and Yi Si

Land 2021, 10(7), 712; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10070712 - 6 Jul 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2886

Abstract

Obvious spatial expansion of human settlement occurred in the lower Yellow River floodplain during the Longshan period, but the external factors driving this expansion remain unclear. In this study, we first delineated the hydroclimatic changes at both regional and local scales within and around the lower Yellow River floodplain and then examined the relationships of human settlements with hydroclimatic settings between the pre-Longshan and Longshan periods. The results indicate that the site distribution, site density and hydroclimatic conditions exhibited significant shifts during the pre-Longshan and Longshan periods. In the pre-Longshan period, the intense East Asian summer monsoon and abundant monsoon-related precipitation caused widespread development of lakes and marshes in the lower Yellow River floodplain. As a result, the circumjacent highlands of the lower Yellow River floodplain contained concentrated human settlements. However, the persistent weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon and consequent precipitation decline, in conjunction with accelerated soil erosion due to decreasing forest vegetation and strengthening of human activities on the upstream Loess Plateau in the Longshan period, are likely to have jointly caused both shrinking and faster filling of preexisting lakes and marshes. Subsequently, a large area of arable land had been created in the lower Yellow River floodplain and thus was occupied by locally rapid increasing population, resulting in the notable spatial expansion of human settlements during the Longshan period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 100 Years of Archaeological Research in China (1921-2021): A Space-Based Perspective)

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16 pages, 6800 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shifting Patterns of House Structures during the Neolithic-Bronze Age in the Yellow River Basin: An Environmental Perspective

by Peng Lu, Yan Tian, Michael Storozum, Panpan Chen, Hui Wang, Xia Wang, Junjie Xu, Lei Jing, Lijie Yan, Li Zhang and Duowen Mo

Land 2021, 10(6), 574; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10060574 - 28 May 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4168

Abstract

The emergence of houses is a social revolution around the world. Over the past several decades, Chinese archaeologists have excavated many Neolithic to Bronze Age houses, but there is still a great amount of uncertainty about the social and environmental factors driving the differences between these house structures in the Yellow River Basin. In this paper, we summarize data from excavation reports on the shape and size of Neolithic-Bronze Age houses in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, respectively, to identify some social and environmental factors that may have affected the development of house structures across northern China. Our results show that the shape and size of the houses developed at a different pace, but in general followed a similar developmental sequence: (1) 10–8 ka BP, the bud of settlements emerged in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River; (2) 8–7 ka BP, people started to construct small pithouses without walls; (3) 7–6 ka BP, people made medium-sized pithouses with low walls, and surface buildings were made with a wood skeleton and mud walls; (4) 6–5 ka BP, ultra-large houses emerged; (5) 5–4 ka BP, house form became more varied, including pithouses, cave dwellings and surface buildings with a wood skeleton mud wall, rammed earth wall, piled mud-grass mixed walls and adobe walls; and (6) 4–3 ka BP, original palaces emerged. Our analyses indicate that the environment played an essential role in determining the house changes over time and that the early to middle Holocene’s warm and humid climate provided excellent conditions for the emergence of settlements throughout the region. Due to the shortage of trees, people chose to change their house construction methods to accommodate the growing lumber shortage. In conclusion, the rapid shift in house construction methods reflects the changing ecological condition as well as a feedback cycle between the environment and social practices driven by resource limitations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 100 Years of Archaeological Research in China (1921-2021): A Space-Based Perspective)

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Review

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25 pages, 3128 KiB

Open AccessReview

Holocene Environmental Archaeology of the Yangtze River Valley in China: A Review

by Li Wu, Shuguang Lu, Cheng Zhu, Chunmei Ma, Xiaoling Sun, Xiaoxue Li, Chenchen Li and Qingchun Guo

Land 2021, 10(3), 302; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10030302 - 16 Mar 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5283

Abstract

The Yangtze River Valley is an important economic region and one of the cradles of human civilization. It is also the site of frequent floods, droughts, and other natural disasters. Conducting Holocene environmental archaeology research in this region is of great importance when studying the evolution of the relationship between humans and the environment and the interactive effects humans had on the environment from 10.0 to 3.0 ka BP, for which no written records exist. This review provides a comprehensive summary of materials that have been published over the past several decades concerning Holocene environmental archaeology in the Yangtze River Valley, to further understand large-scale regional Holocene environmental and cultural interaction within this area. The results show that: (1) in recent years, Holocene envi-ronmental archaeology research in the Yangtze River Valley has primarily taken paleoflood and sea-level change stratigraphical events to be the foundational threads for study. This began with research on the spatiotemporal distribution of archaeological sites, typical archaeological site stratigraphy, and research on background features concerning environmental evolution recorded by the regional natural sedimentary strata. (2) Significant progress has been made at the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, indicating that Holocene environmental ar-chaeology research along the Yangtze River Valley is deepening and broadening. (3) Dramatic changes to Neolithic cultures that occurred approximately 4.0 ka BP were influenced by climate change and associated consequences, although the impacts differed on the various Neolithic cultures in the Yangtze River Valley. Local topography, regional climate, and varying survival strategies may have contributed to these differences. (4) Newly-published research pays particular attention to the sedimentary records of the past with resolutions as high as one year to several months, the degree to which humans altered the quality of their natural environment, and human adjustments to settlement and subsistence practices during periods of Holocene climate change. The application of technologies such as remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and molecular biological analysis are also gradually being extended into the research field of Holocene environmental archaeology in the Yangtze River Valley. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 100 Years of Archaeological Research in China (1921-2021): A Space-Based Perspective)

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