Head of excavation reflects on Erlitou’s archaeological legacy
Head of Erllitou excavation team Xu Hong (2nd from the left) with his colleague examines the environment surrouding the Erlitou site. Photo: FILE
Over the past six decades, generations of archaeologists have dedicated themselves to revealing the profound history of the Erlitou capital site and Erlitou culture. The excavation of Erlitou is the epitome of archaeological study in China.
In the first four decades (1959–1998), senior scholars established a reliable cultural periodization based on the study of unearthed relics centered around pottery. The first four phases of Erlitou’s cultural evolution were widely recognized. Also, factors such as Erlitou’s historical period, geographical range and cultural origin became more clear due to partial excavation of the Erlitou site and discoveries of sites with a similar cultural type. These efforts formed the bedrock of the research on the Erlitou site and associated cultures. In addition, the finds of large palatial buildings, workshops for making bronze and royal tombs secured Erlitou research a critical position in the study of how China formed an early state and civilization.
In the fall of 1999, a new round of archaeological fieldwork at the Erlitou site instigated major changes in terms of guidelines and focuses. The primary task shifted to exploring the settlement form of the Erlitou site. Researchers adopted the concept of settlement archaeology and carried out macroscopic investigation and analysis targeting the entire site and major architectural remains. Careful work has encouraged cross-disciplinary research, as the archaeology has supplied reliable samples and accurate information for chronology, subsistence, workmanship and the analysis of the composition, geographical environment and spatial layout. The focus on settlement archaeology and the emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration display the two major features of Erlitou archaeological fieldwork and comprehensive study since the turn of the 21st century.
Under this academic guideline, fieldwork at the Erlitou site has celebrated great achievements in the following aspects. Systematic drilling of the site’s outskirts and periphery conducted for the first time has helped confirm the scope of the Erlitou culture’s existence as well as the circumstances and formation of the outskirts. The central area and living space of the capital site have been distinguished.
Also, experts have excavated important and precious relics, such as a group of early multiple-entrance palatial buildings, a major road network in the shape of the Chinese character jing (井), ruts, a late-period palatial enclosure and two patterns of palatial complexes with axes, turquoise workshops, royal tombs and giant pits for practicing sacrifices.
Furthermore, the Erlitou excavation team and other working units have carried out a new round of fieldwork on the Central Plain by integrating traditional archaeological methods with new concepts, technologies and methods. They have found a wide range of sites associated with Erlitou culture and obtained more accurate and trustworthy information about the unearthed relics. These findings have given a push for the study of the Erlitou culture when it comes to settlement pattern, technology, economy, the relationship between human and land, social structure and the evolution of civilization.
When I took over as head of the excavation team in 1999, the field archaeology and research of the Erlitou site had already been ongoing for 40 years. From the perspective of an academic information publication, the first relics collection “The Erlitou Pottery Collection” was published in 1995 and the first field archaeological report “Erlitou in Yanshi City: A Report on Archaeological Excavation between 1959 and 1978” in 1999. However, there were few comprehensive research publications on the Erlitou site and Erlitou culture.
A few years later, the new round of archaeological fieldwork at the Erlitou site made initial progress. I had the idea of following the trajectory of Finds and Research of Yin Ruins and working on a Finds and Research of Erlitou Site. Being young and vigorous, I planned to complete the work on my own in my spare time. I outlined the contents in the spring of 2004, according to my documents.
I had to press the pause button, however, because of fieldwork, report compilation and many other chores. After that, I failed to resume the undertaking.
In 2004, we published a series of Erlitou-themed articles in the 11th issue of the journal Archaeology marking the 45th anniversary of the discovery of the Erlitou site. In 2014, the discovery’s 55th anniversary, the five-volume archaeological report “Erlitou (1999–2006)” was published. Six decades after the site was unearthed was the perfect timing to resume the compilation of a comprehensive monograph on Erlitou discoveries and studies. In 2016, we named the monograph 60 Years of Excavation at the Erlitou Site. Over ten years had passed since I came up with the idea. The era of information explosion and the trend of in-depth research meant that it was beyond my individual strength to complete the work. My energy for learning and research was limited as I became a veteran archaeologist.
Archaeological fieldwork commands the feature of teamwork to which young colleagues can contribute. An archaeological study shouldn’t be isolated from other disciplines when there is a trend of disciplinary collaboration and transformation. In these circumstances, I decided to build a team to complete the work. Since then, many young scholars have dedicated themselves to Erlitou study through participation in the writing team.
Erlitou is recognized as the site that has involved the most forms of technological archaeology in the field of Chinese archaeology. A total of 62 scholars have contributed wisdom to the completion of the large archaeological report “Erlitou (1999–2006),” the biggest team of its kind so far in China. The report features the concepts and achievements of settlement archaeology and multidisciplinary research, giving clues to the development and transformation of the country’s archaeological study.
The monograph 60 Years of Excavation at the Erlitou Site systematically reviews the fieldwork findings and research outcomes of Erlitou in the past six decades. From the perspective of research object and focus, the book mainly touches upon six categories, including periodization, site protection and utilization, and the study of settlement archaeology, site, relics, society and culture.
In the archaeological report “Erlitou (1999–2006),” we did not assert the dynasty in which the Erlitou site existed. Instead, we merely pointed out that Erlitou was an important site for scholars to explore the culture of the Xia and Shang dynasties and their transition period. Renowned archaeologist Xia Nai, since he presided over the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has proposed to separate the publication of basic information from interpretations that necessarily include a huge element of subjective understanding.
The new archaeological fieldwork report only supplies fundamental information about the Erlitou site and Erlitou culture while choosing not to make any assertion about their historic attributes. This orientation exemplifies Chinese field reports’ shift from interpretative research based on samples to the publication of comprehensive information. Fieldwork concerning the Erlitou culture has achieved breakthroughs based on the concept of settlement archaeology. At present, the primary goal is to make greater efforts to explore the ancient society in all respects, displaying the academic orientation and research mentality since the mid-late 1990s. This scholarly style has been continued in 60 Years of Excavation at the Erlitou Site.
In the past 60 years, although several generations of archaeologists have achieved fruitful results in the study of Erlitou, the excavated area of the Erlitou site (40,000 square meters) accounts for less than 2% of its total area (3 million square meters). There is immense potential for uncovering the full picture of the site. Fieldwork will become more refined. Apart from human traces and the features of relics, future research will use carbon 14 dating methods and archaeology targeting the environment, human bones, animals, plants and metallurgy. Measures of technological archaeology will be adopted to study pottery and jadeware.
The excavation of Erlitou has continued for sixty years, spanning its process of descending from the ivory tower and attracting attention from the general public as well as academic circles. It began with archaeologists’ shovels and has transformed into archaeological reports and publications. More recently, it has become a part of public history as it appears more and more in textbooks, popular science books and on the internet. Under the concept of sustainable development, excavation of Erlitou will produce more materials, insights and experience for academia while providing the public with enticing historical and cultural knowledge.
This article was edited and translated from China Cultural Relics Weekly.
edited by MA YUHONG