The Liangzhu Culture (3,300-2,300 BC) represented the peak of prehistoric cultural and social development in the Yangtze Delta. With a wide sphere of influence centred near present-day Hangzhou City, Liangzhu City is considered one of the earliest urban centres in prehistoric China. Although it remains a mystery for many in the West, Liangzhu is well known in China for its fine jade-crafting industry; its enormous, well-structured earthen palatial compound and recently discovered hydraulic system; and its far-flung impact on contemporary and succeeding cultures. The archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City were added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in July 2019. Liangzhu Culture contextualises Liangzhu in broad socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and provides new, first-hand data to help explain the development and structure of this early urban centre. Among its many insights, the volume reveals how elites used jade as a means of acquiring social power, and how Liangzhu and its centre stand in comparison to other prehistoric urban centres in the world. This book, the first of its kind published in the English language, will be a useful guide to students at all levels interested in the material culture and social structures of prehistoric China and beyond.

Although several manuals on fieldwork techniques exist, and although most definitions of archaeology would specify excavation and fieldwork as the core of archaeological enquiry, this book is the first to undertake a comparative assessment of how such techniques are taught to university students in many different parts of the world. This book is the result of a three-day international conference held by the International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology (ICCHA) in Beijing in 2006. The contributors, who come from many parts of the world - Africa, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, South and North America and Europe - present strong arguments on the core theme, concepts of the past, and describe fieldwork practices and teaching in their own countries.This is a ground-breaking work both in its theoretical breadth and range of practical information. It will be invaluable to students and teachers of archaeology and heritage management, educationalists and historians. Contributors include J O Aleru, Brigitte Cech, Sarah Colley, Rafael Cruz Antillon, Caleb Adebayo Folorunso, Dorian Q Fuller, Luan Fengshi, Marta Luciani, Arkadiusz Marciniak, Timothy D Maxwell, Gustav Milne, Surapol Natapintu, Mike Parker Pearson, Dominic Perring, Innocent Pikirayi, Qin Ling, Stephen Shennan, B J Tubosun, Peter Ucko, Wang Tao, Gamini Wijesuriya, Seonbok Yi, Zhang Chi, Zhao Hui, and Zhao Zhijun.

The Liangzhu Culture (3,300-2,300 BC) represented the peak of prehistoric cultural and social development in the Yangtze Delta. With a wide sphere of influence centred near present-day Hangzhou City, Liangzhu City is considered one of the earliest urban centres in prehistoric China. Although it remains a mystery for many in the West, Liangzhu is well known in China for its fine jade-crafting industry; its enormous, well-structured earthen palatial compound and recently discovered hydraulic system; and its far-flung impact on contemporary and succeeding cultures. The archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City were added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in July 2019. Liangzhu Culture contextualises Liangzhu in broad socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and provides new, first-hand data to help explain the development and structure of this early urban centre. Among its many insights, the volume reveals how elites used jade as a means of acquiring social power, and how Liangzhu and its centre stand in comparison to other prehistoric urban centres in the world. This book, the first of its kind published in the English language, will be a useful guide to students at all levels interested in the material culture and social structures of prehistoric China and beyond.