Searching for Cities: Problems and Solution in Tracing Han Dynasty Settlements in Nanyang and Ankang, China

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Populations of Early Medieval China: Developing Anthropological Approaches to Historical Archaeology in China" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper presents the results of technology assisted ceramic surveys, interviews, and GIS analysis undertaken in the Nanyang Basin during the summer of 2022. The Nanyang Basin has been the site of continuous human occupation for at least 5,000 years. While prehistoric sites are relatively well known and documented, sites in the historical period remain restricted to temples, palaces, and tombs. Tracing the historical settlements in this region is problematic. In contrast to other global regions, such as Europe and the Middle East, buildings in China do not preserve well, being constructed of mudbricks and wood on earthen platforms with only the most elite houses using roof tiles.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Populations of Early Medieval China: Developing Anthropological Approaches to Historical Archaeology in China   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36089.0