Archaeology of the Chinese Bronze Age: From Erlitou to Anyang [Paperback]

Archaeology of the Chinese Bronze Age is a synthesis of recent Chinese archaeological work on the second millennium BCE--the period associated with China's first dynasties and East Asia's first states. With a focus on early China's great metropolitan centers in the Central Plains and their hinterlands, this work attempts to contextualize them within their wider zones of interaction from the Yangtze to the edge of the Mongolian steppe, and from the Yellow Sea to the Tibetan plateau and the Gansu corridor. Analyzing the complexity of early Chinese culture history, and the variety and development of its urban formations, Roderick Campbell explores East Asia's divergent developmental paths and re-examines its deep past to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of China's Early Bronze Age.Analyzing the complexity of early Chinese culture history, and the variety and development of its urban formations, Roderick Campbell explores East Asia's divergent developmental paths and re-examines its deep past to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of China's Early Bronze Age.Ch. 01: Introduction Ch. 02: The Erlitou Period Ch. 03: The Erligang Period Ch. 04: The Xiaoshuangqiao-Huanbei Period Ch. 05: The Anyang Period Ch. 06: Conclusion: The Central Plains Bronze Age from Erlitou to AnyangRoderick B. Campbell is an assistant professor of East Asian archaeology and history at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University.