Between the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers:Political Domination and Material Culture in the Nanyang Basin during the Zhou Dynasty
Date Issued
2010
Date
2010
Author(s)
Li, Hsiu-Ping
Abstract
Nanyang Basin, between the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers, is the most important transportation channel to communicate the northern and southern China since the Neolithic Age. In spite of being geographically significant, this region were seldom dealt with by historians and archaeologists. The key factor is that Nanyang Basin is neither political center nor cultural center. In fact, we can find different kinds of historical researches and archaeological excavations related to Nanyang Basin. However, being the middle area of political groups and archaeological cultures in the ancient China, Nanyang Basin’s historical development and material culture are fragmentary in the scope of our knowledge. What must point out is that Nanyang Basin has had its own particular history since the Neolithic Age. Therefore, the first aim of this dissertation is to construct regional history of Nanyang Basin from the Neolithic Age to Warring States Period based on historical narratives and archaeological evidences.
Secondly, according to historical texts, the political entities of Zhou, Chu and Qin had ruled Nanyang Basin in succession during Zhou Dynasty, so archaeologists sort the archaeological culture into three periods: the cultures of Zhou, Chu and Qin. Calling archaeological culture after dynasty or political entities presumes that people who have the same historical background share the same material culture. This area was within the sphere of influence of different political entities, but it would be a highly sophisticated question about delimiting a boundary of material culture, which is developed gradually over a relatively long time. Consequently, the relation between political domination and material culture is still an ambiguous issue. Nanyang Basin, the middle area among the northern Zhou, southern Chu and western Qin, provides us radical rethinking of the interaction between the political domination and material culture.
Subjects
Zhou Dynasty
Nanyang Basin
political domination
material culture
middle area
regional history
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