New Western Language Books on East Asian Archaeology
2008-2010
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Contents: [East] Asia General China
Japan
Korea
Adjacent Regions
|
New on this Page: Speidel/Fukushima (Aug. 5, 2011) Selbitschka (Aug. 2, 2011) Jäger/Kansteiner (Aug. 2, 2011) Matsumoto et. al. (July 2, 2011) Zorn/Hilgner (Oct. 23, 2010) Boardman (Oct. 23, 2010) Kuzmin/Glascock (Oct. 23, 2010) Lagerwey (Aug. 4, 2010) Byington (Dec. 27, 2009) Higham (Dec. 24,
2009) Kaner (Oct. 15, 2009) Linduff/Rubinson (Aug. 15, 2009) |
see also:
Books 2005
Books 2006
Books 2007
HABU, Junko; FAWCETT, Clare; MATSUNAGA, John M. (eds.): Beyond Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist Archaeologies. Heidelberg: Springer 2008.
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This volume uses Bruce Trigger's 1984 article, "Alternative Archaeologies: Nationalist,
Colonialist, Imperialist" as a starting point to examine the complex interaction between
contemporary society and archaeological practice today. It deals with the evaluation of multiple
interpretations of the past, with a focus on the concept of multivocality. According to its
practitioners and adherents, archaeological multivocality gives voice to underrepresented groups and
individuals by providing alternative interpretations of the past. This book uses case studies from Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America to explore the interplay between the sociopolitical context of specific national, regional or local archaeological traditions and the variety of interpretations of the past made by archaeologists and others. A key question asked throughout the book is whether multivocality, a concept derived from postmodern theory and embedded in the political, social and intellectual traditions of Britain and North America, is welcome or applicable in other parts of the world. The diversity of topics and geographical areas covered in the chapters allows readers to understand the dynamic nature of the relationship between archaeology, sociopolitical conditions, and peoples' identities in regional and historical settings. The volume concludes with discussions by Alison Wylie, Ian Hodder, and Bruce Trigger who revisit past research but also look forward to the future of alternate archaeologies, multivocality and multiple narratives. (from the website of the publisher) Introduction to Part I.- An Ethical Epistemology of Publicly Engaged Biocultural Research: Archaeology of the New York African Burial Ground.- Multiple Voices for Many Ears in Indigenous Archaeological Practice.- Making a Home: Archaeologies of the Medieval English Village.- Critical Histories of Archaeological Practice: Latin American and North American Interpretations in a Honduran Context.- Part Ii. Evaluating Multiple Narratives In Various Regional And Historical Settings.- Introduction to Part II .- Science or Narrative Multiple interpretations of the Sannai Maruyama site, Japan.- Divided We Stand: Archaeology in Korea after the Korean War.- Multiscalar Approaches to Multivocality: A Case Study from Serbia.- Virtual Viewpoints: Marketing the Past in a Globalized World.- Part Iii. Providing Alternative Interpretations.- Introduction to Part III .- Alternative States.- Disentangling Irish, English and Scandinavian Contributions in the Archaeology of Viking Dublin.- Dominant Narratives, Multivocality, and the Practice of Bolivian Archaeology: The Case of Tiwanaku.- Part Iv. Discussion.- Alternative Archaeologies in Historical Perspective. 228 pages. Hardcover (ISBN-978-0-387-71824-8) 50,24 € |
KUZMIN, Yaroslav V.; GLASCOCK Michael (eds.): Crossing the Straits: Prehistoric Obsidian Source Exploitation in the North Pacific Rim. BAR International Series S2152, Oxford: Archaeopress 2010.
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The original idea for developing this book as Proceedings from the Symposium on
Obsidian Source Studies in Northeast Asia, held at the 70th Annual Meeting of
the Society for American Archaeology (2005), was conceived in the summer of
2004. 1) Introduction: Obsidian Sourcing in the North Pacific Rim Region and
Beyond It (Yaroslav V. Kuzmin and Michael D. Glascock); 2) A Review of
Archaeological Obsidian Studies on Hokkaido Island (Japan) (Masami Izuho and
Wataru Hirose); 3) Prehistoric Procurement of Obsidian from Sources on Honshu
Island (Japan) (Takashi Tsutsumi); 4) Obsidian Trade Between Sources on
Northwestern Kyushu Island and the Ryukyu Archipelago (Japan) During the Jomon
Period (Hiroki Obata, Isao Morimoto, and Susumu Kakubuchi); 5) Provenance Study
of Obsidian Artefacts Excavated from Palaeolithic Sites on the Korean Peninsula
(Nam-Chul Cho, Jong-Chan Kim, and Hyung-Tae Kang); 6) Obsidian Provenance
Studies on Kamchatka Peninsula (Far Eastern Russia): 2003-9 Results (Andrei V.
Grebennikov et al.); 7) Bridging the Gap Between Two Obsidian Source Areas in
Northeast Asia: LA-ICP-MS Analysis of Obsidian Artefacts from the Kurile Islands
of the Russian Far East (S. Colby Phillips); 8) Crossing Mountains, Rivers, and
Straits: a Review of the Current Evidence for Prehistoric Obsidian Exchange in
Northeast Asia (Yaroslav V. Kuzmin); 9) Long-Distance Exchange of Western North
American Obsidian (Carolyn D. Dillian); 10) Trace Element Characterisation of
Archaeologically Significant Volcanic Glasses from the Southern Great Basin of
North America (Richard E. Hughes); 11) Procurement and Consumption of Obsidian
in the Early Formative Mixteca Alta: a View from the Nochixtlán Valley, Oaxaca,
Mexico (Jeffrey P. Blomster and Michael D. Glascock) 12) Geochemical
Characterisation of Obsidian in Western Mexico: the Sources in Jalisco, Nayarit,
and Zacatecas (Michael D. Glascock et al.); 13) Thoughts and Inference on
Prehistoric Obsidian Source Exploitation in the Pacific Rim and Beyond (M.
Steven Shackley). (from the website of the publisher) (ISBN-978 1 4073 0694 0) £42.00 |
NELSON, Sarah Milledge: Shamanism and the Origins of States: Spirit, Power, and Gender in East Asia. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press Inc 2008.
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| Sarah Milledge Nelson’s bold thesis is that the development of states in East
Asia—China, Japan, Korea—was an outgrowth of the leadership in smaller communities guided by
shamans. Using a mixture of historical documents, mythology, archaeological data, and ethnographic
studies of contemporary shamans, she builds a case for shamans being the driving force behind the
blossoming of complex societies. More interesting, shamans in East Asia are generally women, who
used their access to the spirit world to take leadership roles. This work challenges traditional
interpretations growth of Asian states, which is overlaid with later Confucian notions of gender
roles. Written at a level accessible for undergraduates, this concise work will be fascinating
reading for those interested in East Asian archaeology, politics, and society; in gender roles, and
in shamanism. Contents: Preface 1. Orientation 2. Legends, Landscapes, and Skyscrapes 3. What is a Shaman? 4. Power, Leadership, and Gender 5. Shamanism in the East Asian Neolithic 6. Shamanism in Early Chinese States 7. Shamanism in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan 8. Rewinding the Strands (from the website of the publisher) 240 pages. Hardback (ISBN-13: 978-1-598741322) $65.00 |
SANCHEZ-MAZAS, Alicia , Roger BLENCH, Malcolm D. ROSS, Ilia PEIROS, Marie LIN (eds.): Past Human Migrations in East Asia: Matching Archaeology, Linguistics and Genetics. Routledge Studies in the Early History of Asia: Routledge 2008.
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| The study of the prehistory of East Asia is developing very rapidly. In uncovering
the story of the flows of human migration that constituted the peopling of East Asia there exists
widespread debate about the nature of evidence and the tools for correlating results from different
disciplines. Drawing upon the latest evidence in genetics, linguistics and archaeology, this exciting new book examines the history of the peopling of East Asia, and investigates the ways in which we can detect migration, and its different markers in these fields of inquiry. Results from different academic disciplines are compared and reinterpreted in the light of evidence from others to attempt to try and generate consensus on methodology. Taking a broad geographical focus, the book also draws attention to the roles of minority peoples – hitherto underplayed in accounts of the region’s prehistory – such as the Austronesian, Tai-Kadai and Altaic speakers, whose contribution to the regional culture is now becoming accepted. Past Human Migrations in East Asia presents a full picture of the latest research on the peopling of East Asia, and will be of interest to scholars of all disciplines working on the reconstruction of the peopling of East and North East Asia. (from the website of the publisher) 560 pages. Hardback (ISBN: 9780415399234) $170.00 |
UNGER, J. Marshall: The Role of Contact in the Origins of Japanese and Korean. University of Hawai'i Press: Routledge 2008.
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| Despite decades of research on the reconstruction of
proto-Korean-Japanese (pKJ), some scholars still reject a genetic relationship.
This study addresses their doubts in a new way, interpreting comparative
linguistic data within a context of material and cultural evidence, much of
which has come to light only in recent years. The weaknesses of the reconstruction, according to J. Marshall Unger, are due to the early date at which pKJ split apart and to lexical material that the pre-Korean and pre-Japanese branches later borrowed from different languages to their north and south, respectively. Unger shows that certain Old Japanese words must have been borrowed from Korean from the fourth century C.E., only a few centuries after the completion of the Yayoi migrations, which brought wet-field rice cultivation to Kyushu from southern Korea. That leaves too short an interval for the growth of two distinct languages by the time they resumed active contact. Hence, concludes Unger, the original separation occurred on the peninsula much earlier, prior to reliance on paddy rice and the rise of metallurgy. Non-Korean elements in ancient peninsular place names were vestiges of pre-Yayoi Japanese language, according to Unger, who questions the assumption that Korean developed exclusively from the language of Silla. He argues instead that the rulers of Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla all spoke varieties of Old Korean, which became the common language of the peninsula as their kingdoms overwhelmed its older culture and vied for dominance. Was the separation so early as to vitiate the hypothesis of a common source language? Unger responds that, while assuming non-relationship obviates difficulties of pKJ reconstruction, it fares worse than the genetic hypothesis in relation to non-linguistic findings, and fails to explain a significant number of grammatical as well as lexical similarities. Though improving the reconstruction of pKJ will be challenging, he argues, the theory of genetic relationship is still the better working hypothesis. The Role of Contact in the Origins of the Japanese and Korean Languages shows how an interdisciplinary approach can shed light on a difficult case in which the separation of two languages lies close to the time horizon of the comparative method. J. Marshall Unger is professor of Japanese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the Ohio State University. (from the website of the publisher) 224 pages. cloth (ISBN: 978-0-8248-3279-7) $46.00 |
BOARDMAN, John: The Relief Plaques of Eastern Eurasia and China. The ‘Ordos Bronzes’, Peter the Great’s Treasure, and their kin . Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 4 China 1, Leiden/NL: Brill 2009.
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‘The ‘Ordos bronzes’ are well known to collectors and many museums, named for
the many finds in and around the Ordos plateau in north China. They are …the
subject of many catalogues and parts of catalogues of collections [and] have
much to tell of contacts and of iconographic inspiration passing, in both
directions, from China and from the Steppes… I am dealing with what are
generally regarded as belt plaques, not the many animal-only ‘Ordos bronzes’ of
various forms and attachments, which may have been applied to harness or dress
or furniture, and which are equally numerous; nor with daggers and the like. The
main series considered here (the ‘Rope-border’ plaques …begins with works of art
of amazing intricacy of composition, combining a certain horror vacui with a
desire to indicate all parts of the animal figures involved… The series takes us
from over a century before the Qin dynasty ‘unification’ of China, well into
early Han times, roughly from the fourth/third to first centuries BC. Coeval
with them, especially in the later period, are other plaque series of different
shapes and many of them far less ambitious. These represent more decidedly
‘nomad art’, even when their forms and iconography are employed for luxury items
of some intricacy, of the type that reached Siberia, and which characterize
Peter the Great’s Treasure which had been assembled there, and whether or not
some were made by the Chinese for their nomad rivals…Over the whole period
studied the interfaces with the arts of Scythians and Sarmatians are apparent,
and noted where important, but the subject is only part of the far wider
phenomenon of Eurasian arts, a daunting subject. And like all ‘art-historical’
studies it carries a historical element involving the nature of relations
between nomad and settled (to put it at its simplest), as well as the behaviour
of owners/wearers. Many ‘nomads’ of the areas we visit were virtually ‘settled’,
while among the ‘settled’ Chinese many lived a transhumance ‘nomad’ existence. I
address this as best I can in the Conclusions, realizing that for many this
should be the main reason for such a study. It is likely, however, in the face
of the very plentiful material, that a mainly art-historical approach may lead
more readily to conclusions of social and historical significance.’ (From the
author’s Preface) (ISBN: 978 1 4073 0687 2) £48.00 |
CHILDS-JOHNSON, Elizabeth: The Jade Age: Early Chinese Jades in American Museums, Beijing: Science Press 2009. [Chinese and English]
JÄGER, Ulf / KANSTEINER, Sascha: Ancient Metalworks from the Black Sea to China in the Borowski Collection. Wiesbaden: Harrossowitz 2011
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Der Katalog der Sammlung Dr. Elie Borowski, die sich heute im Bible Land Museum
Jerusalem befindet, umfasst 245 Katalognummern zu mehr als 300 Objekten aus
Bronze, Silber und Gold . Die meisten von ihnen stammen aus Nordchina und sind
in ihrer Form und Dekoration bestimmt durch den Gebrauch und Geschmack der
nomadischen Gesellschaften. Viele der Funde stammen aus der Ordos-Region in
Nordwestchina, die wir nur durch ihre Funde aus Gräbern kennen. Vor der
Vereinigung Chinas unter den Quin am Ende des 3. Jahrhunderts v. Chr. waren es
die nomadischen Reitervölker, die im Krieg mit China standen. Diese Nomaden
waren wohl organisiert, waren Experten in der Metallverarbeitung seit der
Bronzezeit. Die meist kleinen Objekte dienten als Schmuck ihres Pferdegeschirrs,
als aufgenähter Dekor ihrer Gewänder oder dienten als Waffen zu ihrer Ausrüstung
wie Schwerter und Messer, bevor sie in die Gräber gelangten. Eine große Serie
der Arbeiten begann im 4. Jh. v. Chr. und beeinflussten auch China, das die
Kunst der Nomadenstämme wahrzunehmen begann und Elemente ihrer Kleidung und den
Reiterschmuck kopierten. Aber auch nach der Vereinigung Chinas laufen
verschiedene Serien von Gürtelschnallen in Form und Dekor weiter, die
ursprünglich von den Nomadenvölkern stammen und sich bis in die Mongolei und den
Westen ausbreiteten. Thematisch überwiegen Tierdarstellungen der Steppe, was sie
mit dem "Tierstil" der westlichen Nachbarn, etwa den Skythen am Schwarzen Meer
verbindet. Mehr als 50 wertvolle Objekte der Sammlung stammen aus dem westlichen
Teil Asiens. Diese einzigartige, bisher unveröffentlichte Sammlung wird damit
der Öffentlichkeit vorgelegt. Hardback, 186 pp (ISBN: 978-3-447-06496-5) € 58,00 |
LAGERWEY, John/KALINOWSKI, Marc (eds.): Early Chinese Religion: Part One: Shang through Han (1250 BC-220 AD). Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 4 China 1, Leiden/NL: Brill 2009.
LAGERWEY, John/LÜ Pengzhi (eds.): Early Chinese Religion: Part Two: The Period of Division (220-589 AD). Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 4 China, Leiden/NL: Brill 2010.
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Together, and for the first time in any
language, the 24 essays gathered in these volumes provide a composite picture of
the history of religion in ancient China from the emergence of writing ca. 1250
BC to the collapse of the first major imperial dynasty in 220 AD. It is a
multi-faceted tale of changing gods and rituals that includes the emergence of a
form of “secular humanism” that doubts the existence of the gods and the
efficacy of ritual and of an imperial orthodoxy that founds its legitimacy on a
distinction between licit and illicit sacrifices. Written by specialists in a
variety of disciplines, the essays cover such subjects as divination and
cosmology, exorcism and medicine, ethics and self-cultivation, mythology, taboos,
sacrifice, shamanism, burial practices, iconography, and political philosophy. Produced under the aegis of the Centre de recherche sur les civilisations chinoise, japonaise et tibétaine (UMR 8155) and the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Paris). Hardback vol 1. xx, 738 pp (ISBN: 978 90 04 16835 0) € 249.00 / US$ 369.00 After the Warring States, treated in Part One of this set, there is no more fecund era in Chinese religious and cultural history than the period of division (220-589 AD). During it, Buddhism conquered China, Daoism grew into a mature religion with independent institutions, and, together with Confucianism, these three teachings, having each won its share of state recognition and support, formed a united front against shamanism. While all four religions are covered, Buddhism and Daoism receive special attention in a series of parallel chapters on their pantheons, rituals, sacred geography, community organization, canon formation, impact on literature, and recent archaeological discoveries. This multi-disciplinary approach, without ignoring philosophical and theological issues, brings into sharp focus the social and historical matrices of Chinese religion. Hardback vol. 2: viii, 814 pp (ISBN: 978 90 04 17585 3) € 249.00 / US$ 369.00 |
LI, Xinwei: Development of Social Complexity in the Liaoxi Area, Northeast China. BAR International Series 1821, Oxford: Archaeopress 2008.
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This work is a case study focusing on the long-term unique evolutionary
trajectory of the prehistoric Liaoxi area, Northeast China. The emergence and
dramatic decline of the Hongshan complex societies forms the core of this
interpretation. Research on household and community levels are based previously
excavated typical sites. The basic data for the spatial study at the regional
level comes from the author’s survey in the Lower Bang River and Upper Laohushan
River valleys, Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia. The structure of the work follows
the chronology of the prehistoric cultures in Liaoxi. (from the website of the publisher) viii+155 pages; 35 tables; 98 figures, maps, plans, drawings and photographs; Glossary. (ISBN: 9781407303079) £35.00 |
LAWTON, Thomas: New frontiers in global archaeology: defining China's ancient traditions. 全球化背景下考古学新前沿：解读中国古代传统 Proceedings of the international symposium celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University, International Sackler symposium. New York: AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities 2008.
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Contents: Excavation of the Donghulin Site and Its Significance by Zhao Chaohong, Wang Tao, Liu Mingli and Yuan Xuemei On the Cultural Background of Changes in Geographical Disputes of Prehistoric Chinese Pottery Decoration by Wang Renxiang On the Yuchisi Settlement Site and Related Issues by Zhang Li Analysis of the Economic Formation of Society - Based on Remains from the Middle Phase of Xinglongwa Culture by Liu Guoxiang Terrestrial Animal Remains from the Huangguashan Site, Xiapu County, Fujian Province by Huang Yunping Salt Archaeology in the Upper Yangzi Basin: Some Preliminary Considerations by Lothar von Falkenhausen Observations on Pit 6 at the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum by Zhang Zhongli Reassembling a Han Tomb from Luoyang by Lukas Nickel The Art of Pottery and Cultural Exchanges between China and the West by Lin Meicun Major Archaeological Discoveries at Yanguanxiang in Hangzhou by Du Zhengxian A New View of Research on Song and Yuan Dynasty Ceramic Production - Regional and Phased Research by Qin Dashu The Earliest Pearl Necklace and Dragon-decorated Glass Ornament by Wang Xun Chinese Archaeology Within a World Context by Peter J. Ucko and Wang Tao Research Relating to Early Chinese Jades in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art by Janet G. Douglas A Methodology to Identify Techniques of Jade Carving in China: The Neolithic Period by Margaret Sax Exploring Ancient Sichuan's Cultural Contacts: Evidence from Jade and Stone by Jenny F. So The Beauty of Jade by Yang Boda Influence of the Culture of the Western Regions on Jade in the Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Periods by Yeung Kin-fong Some Inscribed Chinese Bronze Fittings in the Singer Collection by Thomas Lawton A Discussion of the Phrase Liu zun liu yi by Zhang Xin Shang Dynasty Bronzes from the South or with Southern Charateristics in North American Collections by Zhang Changping Early Weft-Patterned Fabrics and Knitted Textiles Discovered in China by Peng Hao Inner Asia and Han China: Borrowings and Representations by Michele Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens Ancient Chinese Gold from the Paul Singer Collection: Technical Studies and Questions of Attribution by Paul Jett A Thousand Years of Chinese Brown-and-Black Glazed Ceramics: A.D. 400-1400 by Robert Mowry Discussion the reliability of Radiocarbon Dates by Wu Xiaohong The Application of Parylene-N Vapor Deposition in the Conservation of the Paper Quality of Cultural Relics by Xi Sancai, Gong Decai, He Weijun, Zheng Zhongqing and Yang Yi The Application of Artificial Neural Networks [ANN] to the Classification of Ancient Chinese Bronzes by Bao Wenbo The City's Cultural Spirit by Chen Xiejun China's Museology and Its Intangible Heritage by Su Donghai A Discussion of the Multiplying Resources for the Development of Museums by Han Yong Museum Resources - the Authentic Existence of Museums by Tian Kai Cognitions of the Theory, Method, and Practice of Museum Manangement by Bai Wei Research and Standardization of the Conservation of Cultural Relics in Museums by Zhou Baozhong The Truthfulness of Museum Exhibitions by Huang Guangnan Discussion of the Tendency for Excavated Cultural Relics to be Conserved by Museums by Chen Jianming Appreciating and Thinking: A Theory on Learning in Museums by Yan Ruiyuan Museums and Lifelong Education by Cao Hong Admitting Stakeholders: A Discussion of the Administration of Cultural Heritage by Wang Weihua 724 pp., illustrated in color and b/w, bibliography, text in Chinese and English, cloth. (ISBN: 9780962514135) $175.00 |
LI, Xinwei: Development of Social Complexity in the Liaoxi Area, Northeast China. BAR International Series 1821, Oxford: Archaeopress 2008.
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This work is a case study focusing on the long-term unique evolutionary
trajectory of the prehistoric Liaoxi area, Northeast China. The emergence and
dramatic decline of the Hongshan complex societies forms the core of this
interpretation. Research on household and community levels are based previously
excavated typical sites. The basic data for the spatial study at the regional
level comes from the author’s survey in the Lower Bang River and Upper Laohushan
River valleys, Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia. The structure of the work follows
the chronology of the prehistoric cultures in Liaoxi. (from the website of the publisher) viii+155 pages; 35 tables; 98 figures, maps, plans, drawings and photographs; Glossary. (ISBN: 9781407303079) £35.00 |
Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst (ed.), Fire & Earth, Early Chinese ceramics (c. 3500 B.C. – 1400 A.D.), Cologne 2008.
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The German / Englisch catalogue accompanies the exhibition
"Fire & Earth" (October 18, 2008 – April 26, 2009). Early Chinese ceramics (c. 3500 B.C. – 1400 A.D.) represent one of the major areas of collecting of the Cologne Museum of East Asian Art, which in 2009 will celebrate its centenary. Huo Jiena, graduate of Beijing University specialized in Chinese ceramics, engaged for three years in sifting, selecting and systematically recording the approximately twelve hundred pieces in the collection. The result is the selection of 214 objects, which for the first time are published in this catalogue in a coherent format. (from the website of the publisher) Softback EUR 32, 80 |
SHELACH, Gideon: Prehistoric Societies on the Northern Frontiers of China. Archaeological Perspectives on Identity Formation and Economic Change during the First Millennium BCE. (Approaches to Anthropological Archaeology Series) London: Equinox Publishing 2008.
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This book focuses on the formative period in pastoral–sedentary relations, the late second and early
first millennium BCE, on today's northern borders of China. This area – known as the Northern Zone –
emerged as a crucial arena for interactions among sedentary, semi-sedentary, and nomadic people
during a decisive period in which the region's unique economic adaptations, socio-political systems,
local cultures and identities took shape. It is also during this period that the real and symbolic
chasm between the "Chinese" (or Zhou) states and their northern neighbors emerged, and when
conscious attempts were made to define a broader, ethnic-like identity vis-à-vis the
"other" way of
life. Based on archaeological field work in the Chifeng area of Inner Mongolia and on data carefully collected from Chinese archaeological publications, as well as on anthropologically-derived theories and rigorous analytical methods, the book challenges common perceptions which were based mainly on the Chinese historical records. It demonstrates that while changes in aspects of daily life, such as subsistence strategies and political organization, were gradual; a much more dramatic change occurred in the style and quantity of symbolic expression. This suggests that the construction of identities - local and regional- was not merely the end result of the process but rather was, from the beginning, an important catalyst of change. The book brings more comprehensive and nuance understanding to the archaeology and history of East Asia. By focusing on issues of identity, its construction, manipulation and materialization in symbols and artifacts, it also brings new theoretical and methodological innovations to a topic which has a relatively long history in anthropology but which has only recently been seriously addressed by archaeologists. Contents Introduction: The Seeds of the New Order: How East Asia Changed During the Period Between 1100-600 BCE Chapter Two. Charting the Change: What Can We Learn from the Archaeological Record About Changes that Occurred Between 1100-600 BCE. Chapter Three. Is it the Economy? Economic and Political Processes in the Northern Zone Chapter Four. Symbols and Identity: The Drawing of Mental Boundaries Chapter Five. Local, Regional and Global: Interaction Spheres and Social Change Chapter Six. Conclusions: Archaeological versus Historical Perspectives on Processes during the first half of the first Millennium BCE and Beyond (from the website of the pubisher) Hardback - 224 pages. (ISBN: 1845533151) £80.00/$140.00 |
SELBITSCHKA, Armin: Prestigegüter entlang der Seidenstraße?
Archäologische und historische Untersuchungen zu Chinas Beziehungen zu Kulturen
des Tarimbeckens vom zweiten bis frühen fünften Jahrhundert nach Christus. (Asiatische
Forschungen 154 ) Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2010.
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Prestige Goods along the Silk Road? An archaeological and historical study of
Chinese relations to cultures of the Tarim Basin from 2nd through early 5th
centuries CE The analysis first and foremost aims to assess exquisite objects of art, for instance Chinese silks in various weaving patterns, Chinese lacquer objects, Chinese bronze mirrors and Persian (Sassanian) glassware as well as their social function(s) within the ancient cultures of the Taklamakan Desert. It is based on the comprehensive analysis of the archaeological findings of all the published graves from necropoles dating roughly from the 2nd to the 5th centuries CE, which are situated along the ‘Southern Route’ of the Silk Road. In Chinese and in Western sources, these burial sites are (very well) known under the names of Yingpan, Loulan, Zhagunluke (Cherchen), and Niya. They include artefacts and many well preserved mummies, amongst others the famous ‘Yingpan Man’ with his death mask. Therefore, the books fundamental task is the compilation and extensive commentation of the inventories of roughly eighty eligible graves from all four sites. The resulting database (more than 300 pages without figures and tables) offers not only an extensive overview of all the findings, but also delivers a detailed description of every known object from every single grave for the first time in a Western language. As it is often proposed that a considerable number of the today known Chinese commodities from these burials once found their way as some kind of reciprocal gift from the Chinese ruling dynasties within the boundaries of the so-called tributary system, the dissertation also aims to clarify the nature of the relations between mainland China’s souvereigns and the city-states of the Tarim Basin, which were often neglected in favour of the ‘barbarians’, i.e. the once powerful Xiongnu. In order to do so, it was necessary to first evaluate what the Chinese primary historiographical sources (Hanshu, Hou hanshu, Sanguozhi, Jinshu) had to say in this respect. Thereby it became quite clear that the numerous times the written sources record tributary offerings to the Chinese throne, they draw no direct connection between the respective emperor’s acception of these goods and the only four times the ruling houses handed out imperial gifts. The archaeological sources, in general, mirror this impression. Even though one might consider a present from the hands of a Chinese emperor the ultimate prestigious commodity, there are no indications that one of the buried individuals was in the possession of a direct imperial gift. Although a considerable number of them were equipped with Chinese produced artefacts, the relics were hardly ever crafted in imperial workshops. That is to say with the exception of polychrome figured silks in warp-faced compound tabby weave (generally known as jin 錦-silks). These textiles are often adorned by auspicious inscriptions, which occasionally even refer to politcal agendas. But even those should be regarded rather as traded commodities than gifts. This view is not only supported by the fact that in most cases relatively small fragments of many different weaving patterns were used, but also that some jin-samples provide us with ink-inscriptions in Chinese and the Kharosthi-script, which refer to the price of the textile. But then, what constitutes a complex social phenomenon like prestige within the confinements of archaeological data? If we take a first look, it suggests that all imported Chinese objects must have been expensive, which does not necessarily imply that all social actors considered them prestigious. When people attempted to imitate some of the Chinese artefacts, however, it is a clear indication that they somehow admired the originals, but could not get hold of them. It certainly shows that these originals generated prestige, at least among a certain social group of admirers. At closer inspection, some burials provide us with actual proof that Western Asian weavers tried to imitate the Chinese jin-silks. Transforming their principal decorating motifs into the typical Western Asian weaving technique of weft-faced compound tabby weaves (taqueté), they even tried to copy, very crudely and unsuccessully I might ad, Chinese written characters. [Häufig ist vom Prestige der Seide oder anderen exotischen Waren zu lesen, die einst entlang der Seidenstraße übermittelt wurden. Besonders die spektakulären Funde der letzten zwanzig Jahre im nordwestchinesischen Tarimbecken (das heutige Autonome Gebiet Xinjiang) trugen ihren Teil dazu bei. Einige davon waren 2008 in der Mannheimer Ausstellung "Ursprünge der Seidenstraße" zu bewundern. Was aber ist mit dem ?Prestige? der Güter gemeint? Wie lassen sich Prestigegüter von Luxusgütern oder Statussymbolen unterscheiden? Und: Ist dies auf archäologischem Weg überhaupt möglich? Armin Selbitschkas Untersuchung widmet sich diesen Fragen mit einer umfassenden Analyse mehrerer Gräberfelder der Lopnor-Gegend, in Niya, Yingpan und Zhagunluke des 2. bis frühen 5. Jahrhunderts n. Chr. Die materielle Grundlage bildet dabei ein Katalog der auswertbaren Gräber, der erstmals alle verfügbaren Informationen zu den jeweiligen Bestattungen zusammenführt und auf entsprechenden Tafeln graphisch darstellt. (Farb-)Abbildungen und Karten illustrieren zudem die wichtigsten Funde und Befunde: Über die Rekonstruktion der Beziehungen zwischen dem Tarimbecken und China kann der historische Hintergrund des Austauschs zwischen Ost und West erschlossen werden. Selbitschka wertet dafür chinesische Schriftquellen ebenso sorgfältig aus wie die indigenen Kharosthi-Dokumente.] (from the website of the pubisher) Hardback - XIV, 739 pages, 61 Tab., 73 Tafeln . (ISBN: 978-3-447-06307-4) 98,00 € |
SUN, Zhouyong: Craft Production in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771BC). A case study of a jue-earrings workshop at the predynastic capital site, Zhouyuan, China. BAR International Series 1777, Oxford: Archaeopress 2008.
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Ce catalogue des amulettes de Chine du département des Monnaies, Médailles et Antiques de la
Bibliothèque nationale de France comprend plus de cinq cents amulettes monétiformes, un ensemble
constitué autour de la collection qu’Henri Fontanier, consul de France à Tien-tsin, rapporta de
Chine en 1867, et qui entra dans les collections nationales grâce à l’intervention de l’empereur
Napoléon III. Cette collection, enrichie depuis lors, comprend des objets allant de la dynastie des
Han de l’Ouest à la période actuelle. Le catalogue proprement dit est précédé d’une introduction
permettant de comprendre l’importance de ces objets dans la culture matérielle et spirituelle de la
Chine. Depuis l’Antiquité jusqu’à nos jours, les Chinois ont, d’une part, porté ces objets à fonction apotropaïque et prophylactique pour se protéger contre démons et revenants et pour conjurer les effets des miasmes et des mauvais vents ; d’autre part, ils en ont offert aux parents et amis comme souhaits de longévité, d’une carrière honorable, d’une réussite matérielle et d’une descendance mâle. Enfin les amulettes ont été utilisées pour honorer les divinités du panthéon traditionnel et les sages de la religion officielle, et certaines autres ont servi dans les pratiques et rites divinatoires. Ces petits objets sont donc un microcosme de la culture chinoise, avec son système de multiples langages (rébus, synecdoques, métonymies, graphies antiques, glyphes taoïstes, symboles…), ses allusions littéraires, ses références historiques et sa très riche iconographie religieuse, historique, légendaire, zoologique, botanique, etc. (from the website of the pubisher) vii+127 pages; illustrated throughout with maps, plans, figures, drawings and photographs. (ISBN: 9781407302652) £28.00 |
THIERRY, François: Amulettes de Chine. Paris: Bibliothèque nationale de France 2008.
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Ce catalogue des amulettes de Chine du département des Monnaies, Médailles et Antiques de la
Bibliothèque nationale de France comprend plus de cinq cents amulettes monétiformes, un ensemble
constitué autour de la collection qu’Henri Fontanier, consul de France à Tien-tsin, rapporta de
Chine en 1867, et qui entra dans les collections nationales grâce à l’intervention de l’empereur
Napoléon III. Cette collection, enrichie depuis lors, comprend des objets allant de la dynastie des
Han de l’Ouest à la période actuelle. Le catalogue proprement dit est précédé d’une introduction
permettant de comprendre l’importance de ces objets dans la culture matérielle et spirituelle de la
Chine. Depuis l’Antiquité jusqu’à nos jours, les Chinois ont, d’une part, porté ces objets à fonction apotropaïque et prophylactique pour se protéger contre démons et revenants et pour conjurer les effets des miasmes et des mauvais vents ; d’autre part, ils en ont offert aux parents et amis comme souhaits de longévité, d’une carrière honorable, d’une réussite matérielle et d’une descendance mâle. Enfin les amulettes ont été utilisées pour honorer les divinités du panthéon traditionnel et les sages de la religion officielle, et certaines autres ont servi dans les pratiques et rites divinatoires. Ces petits objets sont donc un microcosme de la culture chinoise, avec son système de multiples langages (rébus, synecdoques, métonymies, graphies antiques, glyphes taoïstes, symboles…), ses allusions littéraires, ses références historiques et sa très riche iconographie religieuse, historique, légendaire, zoologique, botanique, etc. (from the website of the pubisher) Softback - 248 pages. (ISBN: 978-2-7177-2402-8) € 99,00 |
WAGNER, Donald B.: Science and Civilisation in China. Volume 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 11, Ferrous Metallurgy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2008.
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Donald B. Wagner provides a comprehensive historical account of the production and use of iron and
steel in China in their political and economic context. An initial chapter on the traditional
Chinese iron industry introduces the important technical concepts and the ways in which technology,
geography, and economics interact and influence political phenomena. Recent archaeological work
indicates that the earliest production of iron in China was in the Northwest, and that the
technology was introduced from the West via Central Asia. It was, however, the invention in South
China of large-scale technologies which put China on a very different developmental path from that
of the West. Further chapters deal with developments from the Han to the Tang, the technical
evolution and economic revolution of the Song period, and economic expansion under the Ming. A final
chapter investigates the debt of the modern steel industry to Chinese developments. Offers the most comprehensive historical account of the development of ferrous metallurgy in China from the beginning, ca. 1000 BC, to modern times • Provides full analysis of the economic aspects of the topic • Includes important digressions into the history of Western technologies Contents 1. Introduction; 2. Introductory orientations: the traditional Chinese iron industry in recent centuries; 3. The earliest use of iron in China; 4. The flourishing iron industry of the -3rd and -2nd centuries; 5. The Han state monopoly of the iron industry; 6. The arts of the smith from Late Han through Tang; 7. Technical evolution and economic revolution in the Song period; 8. Economic expansion in the Ming period; 9. Some Chinese contributions to modern siderurgical technology; 10. Epilogue. (from the website of the pubisher) Full Table of Contents and introductory matter here: http://www.staff.hum.ku.dk/dbwagner/SCC36c-prelims.pdf Hardback - 512 pages, 114 line figures, 73 halftones, 4 tables. (ISBN: 9780521875660) £120.00/$220.00/AUD$450.00 (inclusive of GST) |
ZORN, Bettina / HILGNER, Alexandra (eds.): Glass along the Silk Road from 200 BC to AD 1000. RGZM-Tagungen Bd. 9, Mainz: Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum 2010.
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Book Description The current state of research on glass along the Silk Road was the subject of an international conference within the scope of the »Sino-German Project on Cultural Heritage Preservation« of the RGZM and the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, hosted in December 2008 in Mainz. Since Antiquity the routes of the so-called Silk Road formed an important network for commercial, cultural and technological exchange. Far-reaching and criss-crossing the Asian continent they connected eastern and south-eastern parts of Asia to the Mediterranean world via both maritime and overland routes. Named after the lucrative silk trade, which developed during Han Dynasty, one tends to think of the Silk Road as a one-way road starting in China and ending at the Mediterranean. However, goods, technologies and ideas were travelling in both directions, and glass is an excellent example for a trade-good that arrived in the East from the West. The key developments of glass, which had its origins in the Middle and Near East, mainly took place in the Mediterranean and in the Arab World during Antiquity and Islamic times. Although known in the Far East since at least the Han Dynasty and treated as equivalent to precious stones, glass never played a significant role in Far Eastern cultures. Therefore glass finds from Far Eastern sites provide evidence for far-reaching trade relationships and imply cross-fertilization with other cultures. Thus the contributions to this conference dealt with a geographical area between Western Europe, the Balkans, the Near East, Central Asia, as well as Eastern and Southeastern Asia and covered a chronological range from 200 BC to AD 1000. The conference focused on the one hand on recent results of scientific analyses of glass and on the other hand on archaeological questions. The possibility of interdisciplinary research was one of the focal points of the conference and hence this volume, as well as questions on workshops, raw material, technology and trade. The international conference was considered to provide the participants with an insight beyond their own immediate concerns. By means of presenting studies of regionally specific glass forms and techniques as well as current methods and discoveries, even when not directly connected to the Silk Road, a broader perspective is offered. (from the website of the pubisher) Available at: https://shop.rgzm.de/product_info.php?info=p744_Glass-along-the-Silk-%3E%20Road-from-200-BC-to-AD-1000.html&XTCsid=mb5nm6vjh2bce7msmnn03ons75 249 pages, 200 figures. (ISBN: 978-3-88467-148-1) € 40,00 |
Kaner, Simon (ed.): The power of dogu: ceramic figures from ancient Japan. The British Museum 2009.
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Book Description Born from the earliest dated tradition of pottery manufacture in the world, dogu abstract clay figurines with recognisably human features - are a link back to the lost worlds of the remarkable Jomon period (c. 10,000-500 BC). They have been excavated in large quantities from sites throughout the country. Many were deliberately broken before burial which has raised intriguing questions about their possible uses. This catalogue will illustrate 70 dogu, the most important of which have been designated as either National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties. In addition to the descriptions of the pieces themselves, the book will include chapters written by experts in the field exploring the wider East Asian setting and the significance of this context in understanding Japanese prehistory. (from the website of the publisher) 176 pages. (ISBN: 9780714124643) £ 19,99 |
KUMAR, Ann: Globalizing the Prehistory of Japan. Language, genes and civilisation. Routledge Studies in the Early History of Asia. 2008.
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Book Description This iconoclastic work on the prehistory of Japan and of South East Asia challenges entrenched views on the origins of Japanese society and identity. The social changes that took place in Japan in the time-period when the Jomon culture was replaced by the Yayoi culture were of exceptional magnitude, going far beyond those of the so-called Neolithic Revolution in other parts of the world. They included not only a new way of life based on wet-rice agriculture but also the introduction of metalworking in both bronze and iron, and furthermore a new architecture functionally and ritually linked to rice cultivation, a new religion, and a hierarchical society characterized by a belief in the divinity of the ruler. Because of its immense and enduring impact the Yayoi period has generally been seen as the very foundation of Japanese civilization and identity. In contrast to the common assumption that all the Yayoi innovations came from China and Korea, this work combines exciting new scientific evidence from such different fields as rice genetics, DNA and historical linguistics to show that the major elements of Yayoi civilization actually came, not from the north, but from the south. Table of Contents: 1. Myths and Mental Space 2. The Prehistories of Japan and Indonesia 3. The Evidence of the Rice 4. The Evidence of the Teeth and Skulls 5. DNA, Ancient and Modern 6. The Evidence of Language: the Words that Tell the Story 7. Royal Rice Rituals and the Cultivated Prince Conclusion (from the website of the publisher) 224 pages. Hardback (ISBN: 978-0-7103-1313-3) US$ 150/£ 75 |
MATSUMOTO Naoko, BESSHO Hidetaka, TOMII Makoto (Eds): Coexistence and Cultural Transmission in East Asia. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press 2011.
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Book Description This is the first volume to introduce the data, theory and methodology of contemporary archaeological work in Japan and other parts of East Asia archaeology in English to western audiences. It also introduces a new theoretical concept to archaeologists interested in the relationship between ancient cultures—coexistence. Archaeologists traditionally examine the boundaries between different cultural groups in terms conflict and dominance rather than long-term, harmonious adaptive responses. Chapters in this book cover evidence from burials, faunal and botanical analysis, as well as traditional trade goods. It is of interest to archaeologists conducting research in East Asia or studying intercultural interaction anywhere around the globe. (from the website of the publisher) 304 pages. Hardback (ISBN: 978-1-59874-335-7) $89.00 |
PEARSON, Richard (ed.): Okinawa; the Rise of an Island Kingdom. Archaeological and Cultural Perspectives. Proceedings of a Symposium, Kingdom of the Coral Seas, November 17, 2007, at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. BAR International Series 1898, Oxford: Archaeopress 2009.
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Book Description Papers from the Symposium, Kingdom of the Coral Seas, November 17, 2007, at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. The symposium and lectures brought Okinawan archaeology to a wide audience, including many students, professionals and those with an interest in this fascinating part of the Japanese archipelago from across Europe and elsewhere. The current volume represents a full record of the proceedings of the symposium, hopefully bringing the Ryukyus to an even broader readership. Contents: Preface (Richard Pearson); 1) Archaeology of the Ryukyu Islands: Major Themes (Shijun Asato); 2) Okinawa’s Earliest Inhabitants and Life on the Coral Islands (Hiroto Takamiya); 3) Shell Exchange in the Ryukyu Islands and in East Asia (Naoko Kinoshita); 4) Kamuiyaki and Early Trade in the Ryukyu Islands (Akito Shinzato); 5) The Emergence of Ryukyu Royal Authority and Urasoe (Susumu Asato); 6) The Significance of Chinese Trade Ceramics from Ryukyu: Focusing on Yuan Dynasty Blue and White Porcelain (Meitoku Kamei); 7) The Architectural Landscape of the Kingdom of Ko Ryukyu (Takashi Uezato); 8) The Kingdom of Ryukyu: Culture, Politics, Mentality (Arne Rokkum); Appendix 1. Recent Discoveries on Kikai Island (Richard Pearson); Appendix 2. Archaeology of Sakishima (Richard Pearson); Appendix 3. Useful Reference Materials for Ryukyu Archaeology (Richard Pearson) Appendix 4. The Successive Rulers of Chuzan (Ryukyu) (Richard Pearson). (from the website of the publisher) vii+106 pages; illustrated throughout with maps, plans, figures, drawings and photographs, including 8 colour plates. (ISBN: 9781407303802) £29.00 |
SPEIDEL, Michael P.; FUKUSHIMA Tomoko: Dawn of Japan. Emperor Jimmu with his Gods and Warriors on Third-Century Bronze Mirrors. (Band 10 der Reihe Forschungen zur Archäologie Außereuropäischer Kulturen), Wiesbaden: Reichert 2011.
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Book Description In a richly illustrated study, the authors trace Jimmu Tenno, Japan’s legendary first emperor, on bronze mirrors of his own time.The mirrors, while steeped in mythology, tell the emperor’s historic deeds almost exactly as do the eighth-century legends in the “Kojiki” and “Nihon shoki”, thereby revealing the founder of Japan and its ruling dynasty as a truly historical figure who lived - and worshipped the sun-goddess Amaterasu - in the third century of our era. These discoveries will have a major impact on the history of Japan. In einer reich illustrierten Arbeit untersuchen die Verfasser Darstellungen von Jimmu Tenno, Japans erstem Kaiser, auf Bronzespiegeln seiner Zeit. Sie zeigen, dass trotz mythologischer Einkleidung diese Spiegel Jimmu’s Taten nahezu genau so berichten wie die im „Kojiki“ und „Nihon shoki“ erhaltenen Legenden des 8. Jahrhunderts. Die Legenden stammen also aus Jimmus eigener Zeit, dem 3. Jahrhundert unserer Zeitrechnung. Jimmu, der Gründer Japans und seiner regierenden Dynastie war somit eine echte historische Persönlichkeit - eine Tatsache von entscheidender Bedeutung für die Geschichte des Landes. (from the website of the publisher) 152 pages. Hardback (ISBN: |
UNGER, J. Marshall: The Role of Contact in the Origins of the Japanese and Korean Languages, Honolulu: Univ of Hawaii Press 2008.
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Book Description Despite decades of research on the reconstruction of proto-Korean-Japanese (pKJ), some scholars still reject a genetic relationship. This study addresses their doubts in a new way, interpreting comparative linguistic data within a context of material and cultural evidence, much of which has come to light only in recent years. The weaknesses of the reconstruction, according to J. Marshall Unger, are due to the early date at which pKJ split apart and to lexical material that the pre-Korean and pre-Japanese branches later borrowed from different languages to their north and south, respectively. Unger shows that certain Old Japanese words must have been borrowed from Korean from the fourth century C.E., only a few centuries after the completion of the Yayoi migrations, which brought wet-field rice cultivation to Kyushu from southern Korea. That leaves too short an interval for the growth of two distinct languages by the time they resumed active contact. Hence, concludes Unger, the original separation occurred on the peninsula much earlier, prior to reliance on paddy rice and the rise of metallurgy. Non-Korean elements in ancient peninsular place names were vestiges of pre-Yayoi Japanese language, according to Unger, who questions the assumption that Korean developed exclusively from the language of Silla. He argues instead that the rulers of Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla all spoke varieties of Old Korean, which became the common language of the peninsula as their kingdoms overwhelmed its older culture and vied for dominance. Was the separation so early as to vitiate the hypothesis of a common source language? Unger responds that, while assuming non-relationship obviates difficulties of pKJ reconstruction, it fares worse than the genetic hypothesis in relation to non-linguistic findings, and fails to explain a significant number of grammatical as well as lexical similarities. Though improving the reconstruction of pKJ will be challenging, he argues, the theory of genetic relationship is still the better working hypothesis. The Role of Contact in the Origins of the Japanese and Korean Language shows how an interdisciplinary approach can shed light on a difficult case in which the separation of two languages lies close to the time horizon of the comparative method. (from the website of the publisher) 207 pages. Hardback (ISBN: 978-0824832797) $ 48.- |
Van GOETHEM, Ellen: Nagaoka. Japan’s Forgotten Capital. Brill’s Japanese Studies Library, 29. Brill 2008.
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Book Description This is the first work dealing comprehensively with the historical and physical aspects of the Nagaoka palace and capital, constructed in the eighth century at the order of Kanmu Tennō, but abruptly abandoned after only ten years. New research and especially the information yielded by decades of excavation made possible this fresh reassessment of conventional theories not only of the construction and layout of Nagaoka, but also the life and reign of its founder. It also examines the motivations behind the establishment and unexpected abandonment within the context of Kanmu’s reign and personal convictions. More broadly speaking, the volume deals with the process of capital building in late eighth-century Japan, and the links between the Nara and Heian capitals. Readership: All those interested in ancient Japanese history and archaeology, in particular the rule of the late eighth-century sovereign Kanmu, capital building and relocation, political intrigue, and mokkan (inscribed wooden tablets). (from the website of the publisher) 350 pages. Hardback (ISBN: 978 90 04 16600 4) EUR 119.- / US$ 170.- |
Vovin, Alexander: Koreo-Japonica: A Re-evaluation of a Common Genetic Origin, Honolulu: Univ of Hawaii Press 2009.
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Book Description The Japonic (Japanese and Ryukyuan) portmanteau language family and the Korean language have long been considered isolates on the fringe of northeast Asia. Although in the last fifty years many specialists in Japonic and Korean historical linguistics have voiced their support for a genetic relationship between the two, this concept has not been endorsed by general historical linguists and no significant attempts have been made to advance beyond the status quo. Alexander Vovin, a longtime advocate of the genetic relationship view, engaged in a reanalysis of the known data in the hope of finding evidence in support of this view. In the process of his work, however, he became convinced that the multiple similarities between Japonic and Korean are the result of several centuries of contact and do not descend from a hypothetical common ancestor. In Koreo-Japonica, Vovin carefully reviews recent advances in the reconstruction of both language families. His detailed analysis of most of the morphological and lexical comparisons offered so far shows that whenever the proposed comparisons are not due to pure chance, they can almost always be explained as borrowings from Korean into a central group of Japanese dialects from roughly between the third and eighth centuries A.D. The remaining group of lexical (but not morphological) comparisons that cannot be explained in this way is, he argues, too small to serve as proof of even a distant genetic relationship. In this volume, a leading historical linguist presents a significant challenge to a view widely held by Japonic and Korean historical linguistics on the relationship between the two language families and offers material support for the skepticism long espoused by general historical linguists on the matter. His findings will both challenge and illuminate issues of interest to all linguists working with language contact and typology as well as those concerned with the prehistory and early history of East Asia. (from the website of the publisher) 278 pages. Hardback (ISBN: 978-0824832780) $ 55 |
BYINGTON, Mark (ed.): Early Korea 1: Reconsidering Early Korean History through Archaeology. Volume 1. A publication of the Early Korea Project at the Korea Institute, Harvard University. Distributed by the University of Hawai’i Press for the Korea Institute, Harvard University: 2008.
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| Book Description Early Korea is dedicated to developing the fields of early Korean history and archaeology in the English language. The present volume consists of six scholarly works by specialists active in these fields. Three studies focus on the topic of recent advances in historical archaeology on the Korean peninsula and adjacent regions and how this is changing the ways historians understand the history of the earliest states on the peninsula. Another study surveys the origins and development of ceramic traditions in Korea based on recently recovered archaeological data. Finally, two studies discuss the practice of heritage management in Korea, focusing on rescue archaeology and heritage protection.  Table of ContentsEditor’s Introduction Featured Articles ~ Reconsidering Early Korean History through Archaeology "New Perspectives of Koguryŏ Archaeological Data" by KANG Hyun Sook "The Influence of Recent Archaeological Discoveries on the Research of Paekche History" by KWON Oh Young "Kaya and Silla in Archaeological Perspective" by PARK Cheun Soo Studies on Early Korean History & Archaeology "The Development of the Pottery Technologies of the Korean Peninsula and Their Relationship to Neighboring Regions" by CHOI Jongtaik Studies from the Field "A Brief Introduction to Rescue Archaeology in South Korea" by SHODA Shinya "Archaeological Heritage Management of South Korea: The Nam River Dam Project" by Martin T. BALE 240 pages, 130 color illus. (ISBN: 978-0-9795800-1-7) paper $32.00 http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/cart/shopcore/?db_name=uhpress&page=shop/flypage&product_id=5828 |
BYINGTON, Mark (ed.): Early Korea 2: The Samhan Period in Korean History. A publication of the Early Korea Project at the Korea Institute, Harvard University. Distributed by the University of Hawai’i Press for the Korea Institute, Harvard University: 2009.
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| Book Description Early Korea, a publication of the Early Korea Project at the Korea Institute, Harvard University, is a series designed to promote and develop studies of early Korean history and archaeology in the English language. While these fields are active and dynamic in East Asia, they are only beginning to develop in English-language scholarship. Early Korea provides a forum for scholarly articles focused on studies of Korean history, archaeology, and art history prior to the tenth century. Each volume features a section dedicated to several articles focused on a selected theme, along with articles on timely issues in the fields of early Korean history and archaeology as well as studies on the academic fields themselves. The second volume, The Samhan Period in Korean History, features three articles examining historical developments and trade relations in the southern part of the Korean peninsula prior to the fourth century A.D., as well as a survey of historical sources available for the study of this period. Other articles present an annotated translation of primary source materials related to the study of the Samhan period and an overview of one of the important archaeological sites associated with Samhan society. The sixth article offers a look at the development of the field of art history in Korea through biographical treatments of two of its pioneers.  Table of ContentsEditor’s Introduction Featured Articles ~ The Samhan Period in Korean History The Formation and Development of the Samhan by YI Hyunhae The Interregional Relations and Developmental Processes of Samhan Culture by LEE Jaehyun Problems Concerning the Basic Historical Documents Related to the Samhan by JU Bo Don Sources in Translation The Account of the Han in the Sanguozhi An Annotated Translation by Mark E. BYINGTON Studies on Early Korean History & Archaeology Tomb 1 at the Taho-ri Site in Ch angwon by YI Young Hoon Studies from the Field Dr. Kim Chae-won and Professor Kim Won-yong and Their Contributions to Art History by AHN Hwi-Joon 208 pp., 90 color & b/w illus. (ISBN: 978-0-9795800-3-1) paper $30.00 http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/cart/shopcore/?db_name=uhpress&page=shop/flypage&product_id=6495 |
CALÒ, Ambra: The Distribution of Bronze Drums in Early Southeast Asia. Trade routes and cultural spheres. BAR International Series 1913, Oxford: Archaeopress 2009.
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| Book Description This study focuses on the distribution of early Dong Son bronze drums, from their centres of production in north Vietnam throughout Mainland and Island Southeast Asia, as evidence of cultural contact and cross-regional exchange along river and maritime routes from the late Metal Age to the proto-historic period. This is the period just prior to, and overlapping with, the first Chinese and Indian influences in the wider region. The exchange of bronze drums established alliances between early centres favouring the trade of other goods. Such early centres allow us to identify early cultural spheres which set the stage for the process of state formation in the historic period. Adopting a synoptic view over the entire distribution across present national boundaries, the author analyses the implications of what types of drums are found where. As a working tool towards this goal, she identifies specific regional clusters. Each cluster of drums highlights and clarifies specific questions regarding chronology, routes of transmission, the geographical extent of trade networks, and new local bronze casting traditions arising from the influence of the imported bronze drums. (from the website of the publisher) xiii+206 pages; illustrated throughout with figures, maps, plans, drawings and photographs. (ISBN: 9781407303963) £ 51 |
FRACHETTI, Michael D.: Pastoralist Landscapes and Social Interaction in Bronze Age Eurasia. Berkeley : University of California Press 2008.
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| Book Description "An excellent resource on Eurasian steppe prehistory that utilizes a broad spectrum of data from various disciplines. This book will be important for archaeologists, ethnographers, historians, and geographers."—Sandra Olsen, editor of Horses and Humans: The Evolution of Human-Equine Relationships Description Offering a fresh archaeological interpretation, this work reconceptualizes the Bronze Age prehistory of the vast Eurasian steppe during one of the most formative and innovative periods of human history. Michael D. Frachetti combines an analysis of newly documented archaeological sites in the Koksu River valley of eastern Kazakhstan with detailed paleoecological and ethnohistorical data to illustrate patterns in land use, settlement, burial, and rock art. His investigation illuminates the practical effect of nomadic strategies on the broader geography of social interaction and suggests a new model of local and regional interconnection in the third and second millennia B.C.E. Frachetti further argues that these early nomadic communities played a pivotal role in shaping enduring networks of exchange across Eurasia. About The Author: Michael D. Frachetti is Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. (from the website of the publisher) 232 pages, 7 x 10 inches, 28 b/w photographs, 6 line illustrations, 19 maps, 12 tables January 2009, (ISBN: 978-0-520-25689-7) Hardcover $45.00, £26.95 http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10832.php |
HIGHAM, C.F.W. and KIJNGAM, A. (eds): The Origins of the Civilization of Angkor Volume 3. The Excavation of Ban Non Wat: Introduction. Bangkok: The Fine Arts Department 2009.
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| Book Description Ban Non Wat is one of the many large, moated prehistoric sites located in the upper Mun Valley of Northeast Thailand. It has been the subject of excavations over seven seasons. This volume provides an introduction to the site, beginning with the cultural sequence. The 75 radiocarbon determinations covering the prehistoric occupation have been analysed using Bayesian statistics and show that the initial occupation by hunter-gatherers dates to the early second millennium BC. This is followed by two phases of the Neolithic, five of the Bronze Age and two of the Iron Age. The Neolithic occupation is dated from the 18th to the 11th centuries BC, while the Bronze Age covers the period from about 1050 to 420 BC. 637 burials have been excavated as well as much economic, technological and environmental material. The book summarises the main findings, including the stratigraphic sequences in three separate parts of the site, the mortuary behaviour and the material culture. It is found that the first Neolithic occupation presents similarities in ceramic forms and decoration with contemporary groups in other regions. The first three phases of the Bronze Age contained exceptionally rich burials of men, women, children and infants. There followed a sharp fall in mortuary wealth, reflected in fewer ceramic vessels, shell and marble ornaments and bronzes placed with the dead. With the initial Iron Age, we find that glass, agate, carnelian and iron tools, ornaments and weapons were the principal mortuary goods. In all phases, ceramic vessels and animal bones are thought to reflect intense burial rituals involving feasting. xvi+264 pages; illustrated throughout with 322 illustrations, most in colour. (ISBN 9789744179975) £ 50.00 Distributed by Oxbow Books: http://www.oxbowbooks.com and the David Brown Book Company, P.O. Box 511, Oakville, CT06779, USA. |
LINDUFF, Katheryn M. / RUBINSON, Karen S. (eds.): Are All Warriors Male?: Gender Roles on the Ancient Eurasian Steppe. (Gender and archaeology series -- v. 17). Lanham: AltaMira Press 2008.
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| Content Introduction: The nature of nomads, cultural variation, and gender roles past and present / Katheryn M. Linduff and Karen S. Rubinson Reconsidering warfare, status, and gender in the Eurasian Steppe Iron Age / Bryan Hanks Arma feminamque cano : warrior-women in the Indo-European world / Karlene Jones-Bley Tillya Tepe : aspects of gender and cultural identity / Karen S. Rubinson Women's attire and possible sacred role in 4th millennium northern Kazakhstan / Sandra Olsen and Deborah G. Harding He who eats the horse, she who rides it? symbols of gender identity on the eastern edges of the Eurasian Steppe / Gideon Shelach Horses and gender in Korea : the legacy of the Steppe on the edge of Asia / Sarah Milledge Nelson Women and children in the Sargat culture / Natalia Berseneva Sorting out men and women in the Karasuk culture / Sophie Legrand The gender of luxury and power among the Xiongnu in eastern Eurasia / Katheryn M. Linduff. xxi, 270 pages, (ISBN: 9780759110731) Hardcover |
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Last modified: 19.12.2011
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