Asian Perspectives, 2021 - Volume 60, Number 2 (Fall)
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Item Errata(2021-11-30)Item The Multi-Period Settlement Dali in Southeastern Kazakhstan: Bronze Age Institutional Dynamics along the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor`(2021-11-30) Hermes, Taylor R; Doumani Dupuy, Paula N.; Henry, Edward R; Meyer, Marc; Mar’Yashev, Alexey N; Frachetti, Michael DArchaeological excavations at the Dali site complex located in southeastern Kazakhstan provide a rich picture of Bronze Age life spanning from the early third to late second millennia B.C. Nearly ten years of research at the site have produced an abundant assemblage of architectural remains, ritual and burial contexts, human and animal ancient DNA, and evidence for related economic practices and other material forms (ceramics, metallurgy). A systematic radiocarbon dating program provides detailed chronological context for the numerous stratigraphically documented phases of occupation, burial, and economy at the site. The settlement contexts at Dali provide some of the most varied and well-dated material assemblages known in the region and help illustrate how local pastoralist societies developed traditions of architecture, ceramic production, herd management, and ritual in the Early Bronze Age, while innovating and incorporating novel craft techniques, economic strategies, burial styles, and settlement construction in the Middle and Late Bronze Age. Taken together, the archaeological data from Dali allow for a detailed reconstruction of the local practices and regional interactions that engaged agro-pastoralist communities within diverse, shared institutional domains across the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor and beyond over a span of more than 2000 years.Item Copper Mining and Metallurgy in the Zhongtiao Mountains and Yangzi River Valleys in Early China(2021-11-30) Shi, TaoThis article investigates the organization of copper mining and metallurgy in the Zhongtiao Mountains and along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangzi River during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages. Understanding copper mining and metallurgy in the Zhongtiao Mountains was based on the occurrence of specific ore characteristics and archaeological materials from the Dongxiafeng site, while the argument for the middle and lower Yangzi River valleys was based on the mining landscapes and archaeological materials from sites in and around the Tonglüshan and Tongling mining regions. Although the research methods were slightly different, archaeological information from the two regions suggests that copper mining and metallurgy were organized on a small-scale, local, and sporadic basis during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages. This article further suggests that the acquisition of copper resources was probably not based on direct state control. Rather, more fluid and indirect resource strategies were probably adopted by early Chinese states.Item Hierarchical, Ethnic, and Provenance Features of Western Zhou Period Proto-Porcelain in Northern China: New Evidence of a Redistribution System During the Western Zhou Dynasty(2021-11-30) Li, HaichaoProto-porcelain from the Western Zhou Dynasty was considered highly valuable at the time and possibly originated in southern China. However, detailed information about proto-porcelain—the status and ethnic background of its owners, its inclusion in sets of objects, its regional and chronological features, and, most importantly, its provenance— is still unclear today. This article examines these aspects by conducting a comprehensive archaeological context analysis and comparison study. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, proto-porcelain was frequently used by Shang people, while among the Zhou people, only members of the central court and residents of a few important regional states with the surname Ji used proto-porcelain. With few exceptions, proto-porcelain objects were mostly owned by high-status groups. From the central court to regional states, proto-porcelain burial assemblages and typology were uniform. Considering the radial distribution pattern from the central court to peripheral areas, a redistribution system might have existed. A typological comparison suggests that most proto-porcelain found in the north came from the Qiantangjiang valley in Zhejiang Province. The proto-porcelain might have been custom ordered by the central court and then redistributed to different regional states in certain sets. This redistribution system was also applied to high-quality bronze vessels, the pattern of which reveals the central court’s political strategy.