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Craft Production and Social Change in Northern China

  • Book
  • © 2002

Overview

Authors:
  1. Anne P. Underhill

    1. The Field Museum, Chicago, USA

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  • Provides an anthropological analysis of social and economic change during the late prehistoric and early historic period of Northern China
  • Demonstrates that competition among descendant groups for economic and dealogical power caused diversification in the material culture
  • Interprets material culture into the social changes of a complex society
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Fundamental Issues in Archaeology (FIAR)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Craft Production and the Development of Complex Societies in Ancient China

    • Anne P. Underhill
    Pages 1-18

  3. Sources of Data on Social and Economic Change during the Late Neolithic Period and Early Bronze Age

    • Anne P. Underhill
    Pages 19-46

  4. Food, Craft Production, and Social Inequality

    • Anne P. Underhill
    Pages 47-65

  5. The Gift of Food in Ancient China

    • Anne P. Underhill
    Pages 67-87

  6. The Dawenkou and Yangshao Periods

    • Anne P. Underhill
    Pages 89-145

  7. The Longshan Period

    • Anne P. Underhill
    Pages 147-199

  8. The Early Bronze Age

    • Anne P. Underhill
    Pages 201-239

  9. Craft Production and Social Change in Northern China

    • Anne P. Underhill
    Pages 241-258

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 259-346
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Keywords

About this book

This book offers an anthropological analysis of how craft production changed in relation to the development of complex societies in northern China. It focuses on the production and use of food containers-pottery and bronze vessels-during the late prehistoric and early historic periods. A major theme is how production and use of prestige vessels changed in relation to increase in degree of social inequality. The research and writing of this book took place intermittently over a period of several years. When I first outlined the book in 1994, I planned to offer a more limited and descriptive account of social change during the late prehistoric period. In considering the human desire to display status with prestige goods, my initial approach emphasized how the case of northern China was similar to other areas of the world. I began to realize that in order to adequately explain how and why craft production changed in ancient China, it was crucial to consider the belief systems that motivated produc­ tion and use of food containers. Similarly, a striking characteristic of ancient China that I needed to include in the analysis was the preponderance of food containers, rather than other goods, that were buried with the deceased. I decided to investigate the social and ritual uses of food, bever­ ages, and containers during more than one period of Chinese history. Some strong patterns could have emerged during the late prehistoric period.

Reviews

"Underhill's monograph is the first diachronic archaeological study of this region from the anthropological perspective. This work will be of interest to students in Chinese archaeology,m as well as to archaeologists studying the rise of social complexity in other parts of the world."
(Journal of Anthrolopological Research, 59 (2003)

"...in this book, Anne Underhill has undertaken a massive investigation of the textual and archaeological evidence for changes in craft production in relation to the development of complex society between 4000 and 1200 B.C. in northern China. Probably the most meticulously systematic argument in the Chinese archaeological literature, where a rich array of Chinese historical and archaeological as well as worldwide ethnographical data are marshaled in its support."
(Gina L. Barnes, Asian Perspectives, 43:1)

Authors and Affiliations

  • The Field Museum, Chicago, USA

    Anne P. Underhill

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Craft Production and Social Change in Northern China

  • Authors: Anne P. Underhill

  • Series Title: Fundamental Issues in Archaeology

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0641-6

  • Publisher: Springer New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media New York 2002

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-306-46771-4Published: 31 October 2002

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4613-5172-6Published: 01 October 2012

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4615-0641-6Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 1567-8040

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVI, 346

  • Topics: Archaeology, Anthropology

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