Exploring the Emergence of the Dian (Shizhaishan) Culture: a view from settlement study

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Research on Early Chinese Borderland Cultures and Archaeological Materials" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

As archaeological data from settlement sites of eastern Yunnan were largely absent until very recently, the Bronze Age culture in the area was interpreted through materials taken from burials around Lake Dian and nearby regions. These mortuary data provide a picture of socially stratified and materially resourceful communities ruled by warrior elites, and are thought to be the material remains of the Dian culture (also called Shizhaishan culture based on the name of the type site). While perceivable opulence in rich Dian graves allude to the advent of complex social formation and political consolidation occurring around 500 BC, questions about the reasons behind the social changes, as well as the process of such changes, are yet to be answered by information drawn from settlement studies. In the light of recent archaeological activities conducted in Dian basin and adjacent areas south of Lake Dian, important data are emerging that will hopefully assist in resolving current issues on the formation of Dian society. Using available stratigraphical and chronological data from these settlement sites, this work will explore issues relevant to the emergence of the Dian culture and society.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Recent Research on Early Chinese Borderland Cultures and Archaeological Materials   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25462