Cover -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of Figures -- Notes on Contributors -- Notes on Translators and Other Assistants -- Translators -- Other Assistants -- CHAPTER 1: Introduction: Investigating the Development and Nature of Complex Societies in Ancient China -- CHAPTER 2: "Despoiled of the Garments of Her Civilization:" Problems and Progress in Archaeological Heritage Management in China -- Early Looting and Efforts to Curtail the Practice -- Early Legislative Efforts -- Heritage Protection Legislation in the People's Republic -- International Collaboration to Curb Archaeological Looting -- Other Threats to China's Heritage -- Conclusions -- References -- CHAPTER 3: Earlier Neolithic Economic and Social Systems of the Liao River Region, Northeast China -- The Topographic and Ecological Setting -- History of Research on the Earlier Neolithic Societies in Northeast China -- Xinglongwa and Zhaobaogou Material Culture -- Agriculture and its Origins in Northeast China -- The origins of agriculture and sedentism in northeast China -- The relative importance of agriculture for Xinglongwa and Zhaobaogou societies -- The Early Neolithic Societies of Northeast China in Comparative Perspective -- References -- CHAPTER 4: Understanding Hongshan Period Social Dynamics -- Ceremonialism and Social Hierarchy -- Settlements and Communities -- Household Productive Differentiation -- Understanding Hongshan Period Social Dynamics -- Chronological Concerns -- Future Research -- Acknowledgments -- References -- CHAPTER 5: The Lower Xiajiadian Culture of the Western Liao River Drainage System -- Different Kinds of Lower Xiajiadian Sites -- Internal Settlement Organization of Hillside and Mound Sites -- Site Distribution Patterns and Degree of Social Development -- Evidence for Ritual Activities in Settlements.

Assessment of Variation in Houses -- Analysis of Burials -- Other evidence for social organization from burials -- The Lower Xiajiadian Economic System -- Conclusions -- References -- CHAPTER 6: The Qijia Culture of the Upper Yellow River Valley -- Settlements of the Qijia Culture -- Graves of the Qijia Culture -- The Economy of the Qijia Culture -- Craft production and exchange -- Other Aspects of Qijia Spiritual Life -- New Discoveries at Qijia Culture Sites -- Conclusions -- References -- CHAPTER 7: The Sichuan Basin Neolithic -- Introduction -- Key Neolithic Sites in the Three Gorges Region -- Middle Neolithic Sites around the Chengdu Plain -- The Baodun Culture -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgments -- References -- CHAPTER 8: The Sanxingdui Culture of the Sichuan Basin -- History of Research on the Sanxingdui Site and Culture -- Main Characteristics of the Site of Sanxingdui and the Sanxingdui Culture -- Other finely made goods -- The Two Large Pits Found at Sanxingdui -- What the Artifacts at Sanxingdui Reveal About the Society -- Evidence for worship of the sun -- The significance of eyes -- The Shi'erqiao Period Site of Jinsha and Similarities to Sanxingdui -- Conclusions -- References -- CHAPTER 9: PART IV The Early Neolithic in the Central Yellow River Valley, c.7000-4000 bc -- The Early Period -- The Middle Period -- The subsistence economy in the middle period -- Craft production in the middle period -- Social organization during the middle period -- The Late Period -- The late period economy: subsistence and craft production -- Interpretation of late period settlement organization -- Cemeteries from the Banpo culture -- Conclusions -- References -- CHAPTER 10: The Jiahu Site in the Huai River Area -- Environment and Subsistence -- Settlement Organization -- The early phase settlement layout.

Layout of the village during the middle-late phase -- Evidence for Social Differentiation from Burials and Houses -- Craft Production at Jiahu: Pottery Vessels, Stone Tools, and Bone Tools -- Evidence for Population Movements in the Area -- Evidence for Rituals -- Other Important Discoveries at Jiahu -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgment -- References -- CHAPTER 11: The Later Neolithic Period in the Central Yellow River Valley Area, c.4000-3000 bc -- The Heartland Miaodigou Area -- Basic Features of the Miaodigou Type -- Analysis of Miaodigou Social Complexity -- The Xipo settlement -- Xipo mortuary practices and Miaodigou social complexity -- Leadership strategies of the Miaodigou elite -- Possible unique aspects of Miaodigou social complexity -- Peripheral Areas in the Central Yellow River Valley -- Changes After the Miaodigou Period -- Conclusions -- References -- CHAPTER 12: The Longshan Culture in Central Henan Province, c.2600-1900 bc -- Earlier Longshan (Miaodigou II) Culture Remains in Central Henan -- Later Longshan (Wangwan III) Culture in Central Henan -- Settlement Patterns of the Wangwan III Culture -- Individual walled sites from the Wangwan III Longshan culture -- Structures from other Wangwan III culture settlements -- Burial Patterns of the Wangwan III Culture -- Agricultural and Craft Production in the Wangwan III Culture -- Music, Art, and Religion in the Wangwan III Culture -- Conclusions -- References -- CHAPTER 13: The Longshan Period Site of Taosi in Southern Shanxi Province -- Regional Settlement Patterns -- Changes over time in settlement patterns within the Taosi site cluster -- Internal Settlement Organization at Taosi -- The middle-period city -- The late-period city -- Cognitive Aspects of Taosi Culture -- Conclusions -- References -- CHAPTER 14: Production of Ground Stone Tools at Taosi and Huizui: A Comparison.

Introduction -- Lithic Production at Taosi in the Linfen Basin -- Procurement of raw materials -- Techniques and sequence of stone tool production -- Production capacity and distribution of metamorphic sandstone tools -- Cost-benefit strategy in stone tool production -- Organization of stone tool production -- Lithic production and early urbanism -- Lithic Production at Huizui in the Yiluo Basin -- Raw material quarry -- Producing spade preforms -- Stone-tool production at Huizui -- Sequence of spade manufacture -- Distribution of spades -- The organization of spade production -- Spade production and urbanism in the Yiluo basin -- Conclusions -- References -- CHAPTER 15: The Erlitou Culture -- The Rise of the Erlitou Culture -- General Features of the Erlitou Site and Culture -- Agriculture, animal husbandry, and diet -- Growth of the Capital -- The earliest immigrant city in China -- The mystery of the origin of the two-wheeled vehicle and the horse-drawn vehicle -- Features of the Core Area at Erlitou, the Walled Palace City -- Discovery of a government-run workshop area -- Unique and Complicated Techniques of Bronze Production -- Information about Social Hierarchy from Burials -- The Importance of Ritual to the State -- A tradition of roasting meat -- The Impact of the Erlitou Culture -- Erlitou and the Xia and Shang dynasties -- References -- CHAPTER 16: The Discovery and Study of the Early Shang Culture -- Refining the Chronology of the Early Shang Culture and the Geographic Distribution of Sites -- Settlement Patterns of the Early Shang Period -- Settlement hierarchy -- Interpreting groups of settlements at different scales -- Changes in settlement patterns during the early Shang period -- Transportation and communication -- Graves as Indicators of Social Hierarchy -- Social stratification during the early Shang period.

Economic Organization During the Early Shang Period -- Symbolic Communication During the Early Shang Period -- Conclusions -- References -- CHAPTER 17: Recent Discoveries and Some Thoughts on Early Urbanization at Anyang -- Brief History of Exploration in Anyang -- Huanbei -- The city walls -- The inner city: the palace-temple district -- Yinxu -- Spatially Segregated Lineage-Based Cemeteries -- Cemetery of the kingly lineage -- Cemeteries of lineages of zi princes -- Cemeteries of non-royal lineages -- Neighborhoods within the Great Shang Settlement -- The Palace-Temple District -- Simplification and Urbanization at Yinxu -- Outlook for Future Work -- Acknowledgments -- References -- CHAPTER 18: Archaeology of Shanxi During the Yinxu Period -- Introduction -- A Brief History of Archaeological Research in Shanxi -- Archaeology of Shanxi During the Yinxu Period -- Central Shanxi -- Xinzhou -- Baiyan, Taigu -- Xinghuacun, Fenyang -- Jingjie, Lingshi -- Changzhi Basin -- Beigaomiao, Zhangzi -- Xiaoshen -- Xiligao and Shangcun, Tunliu -- The Linfen Basin -- Qiaobei, Fushan -- Luliang Mountains -- Linzheyu, Baode -- Shilou -- Gaohong, Liulin -- Shanxi as the Frontier of Contact and Interaction -- The Anyang Centric Model in Chinese Bronze Age Archaeology -- The Reason for Contact: Why was Shanxi Interested in Anyang and Vice Versa? -- Acknowledgments -- References -- CHAPTER 19: The Houli and Beixin Cultures -- Subsistence Economy -- Sources of animal foods -- Craft Production -- Stone and jade tools -- Settlement Patterns and Social Organization -- The structure of individual houses -- Social organization reflected by houses at Houli sites -- Analysis of Houli Burials -- Search for Origins of the Houli Culture -- The Beixin Culture -- Beixin Subsistence Economy -- Sources of protein -- Beixin Period Craft Production.

Beixin Settlement Patterns and Social Organization.