Jade crafting activities in Neolithic China

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Jade has became one of the most enduring symbol in East Asia since Early Neolithic period. Extensive investigations have been conducted focusing on jade final products from the perspectives of aesthetic values, morphological typologies and sociocultural significance. Nevertheless, little is understood about the nature of crafting activities, intensity of production, and the mechanism of consumption. This study examines the transitions in Chinese Neolithic jade crafting activities through several case studies, from multiple perspectives including raw material acquisition, processing techniques, organization of production, social exchange and consumption. Of particular interests is the emergence of specialized workshops and their impacts on both the value system of jades and the sociocultural transitions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Technology, Production, and Social Changes in Chinese Archaeology

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50949