Recent Research on Early Chinese Borderland Cultures and Archaeological Materials

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Recent Research on Early Chinese Borderland Cultures and Archaeological Materials," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In ancient Chinese frontier zones which comprised lands with unique geomorphological features and ecosystems across different climate zones, archaeological landscapes point to the existence of regional cultures that progressed independently from direct impacts from the Chinese central plains. Very often they also suggest communications between the frontier groups and outsider cultures. While remarkable quantities of archaeological data from field work highlight different aspects of these frontier cultures, an increasing number of multidisciplinary research methods and analyses recently made available also assist in identifying distinct attributes of these cultures, as well as in exploring issues surrounding the dynamics of cultural interaction and technological exchange. With the most updated research tools in hand, authors in this session present the results of case studies using materials known through recent excavations at sites in ancient Chinese borderlands.