Alternative Models for Social Organization during the Longshan Period in China

Wesleyan University presents a talk by Professor Anne Underhill on societal developments in the Rizhao area of Shandong province.

Anne Underhill, Professor, Anthropology Department, Yale University

Archaeological fieldwork in diverse areas of China has revealed evidence for multi-community polities from the late prehistoric period that remain inadequately understood. Even within the Yellow River valley alone, distinct differences in social, economic, and political organization are becoming evident. This lecture highlights differences between regions and describes ongoing efforts to explain the nature of the complex society that developed at Liangchengzhen in the Rizhao area of Shandong province.