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Contents

 

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EAAN activities:

 

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

 

Does anyone know what the present status of the Old World Prehistory Group is? It is rumored to be affiliated with the Society of American Archaeology. Any information would be appreciated: send to the 'nouncements editor.

 Does anyone know mailing addresses for Chris Fung (New Zealand) and Chuan Kun Ho?
 

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MEMBER NEWS (in alpha-order):
 

Many of you will be changing your address after the closing academic year. Please inform EAAN of your new address so that your October issue of the 'nouncements can reach you without delay. In your correspondence with EAAN, please be sure to include the name of the month in all dates. This is to avoid the confusion of the differing customs by which e.g. 10 March 1991 is written 3/10/91 in American English and 10/3/91 in British English. Also note that deadline for copy for the next issue is mid-September.

 

Dr. Kidong BAE (East Asian prehistoric archaeology & physical  anthropology)
Department of Anthropology
Hanyang University
Ansan 425-791 Korea
Home 02-475-8651
Work 02-869-2111 ext. 3124
FAX 02-555-9284
Kidong has recently taken up the post of Assistant Professor at Hanyang after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Washington with a thesis on the Korean Palaeolithic. His current projects include research on the prehistoric cultures in the Yellow Sea area, and stone tool technology in Korea.

Prof. Lucia CATERINA (Chinese & Japanese early historic to medieval  archaeology and history)
Istituto Universitario Orientale
Dipartimento Di Studi Asiatici
Piazza S. Giovanni Maggiore 30
80134 Napoli Italy
Home 081-7645097
Work 081-5517860/5517855
FAX 081-5517852
Lucia is an Associate Professor at Naples University currently at work on a catalogue of the Far Eastern collections in Italian museums.

Dr. Roberto CIARLA (East Asian pre- & proto-historic archaeology)
IsMEO
Via Merulana, 248
00185 Roma
Home 6-2711370
Work 6-732626, 737948
FAX 0039-6-4873138
Dr. Ciarla is the Research Director of the Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente (IsMEO), which sponsored the conference "Research Strategies on the Archaeology of Coastal Adaptations in the Indo-Pacific Region," 20-24 March 1989 with support from the Japan Foundation. He is currently studying the Chinese Bronzes Collection of the Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale-Roma, mostly dated from about the 14-1c BC (ca. 80 items, comprising superb ritual vessels, chriot/horse harnessings and a few weapons). These materials will be exhibited and published in 1993 or early 1994, when restoration work on the Palace which is hosting the exhibition is completed. Meanwhile, Dr. Ciarla is also working on the data collected from his excavation of the Tha Kae site in Lopburi, central Thailand, where he plans to carry out the final excavation season from Nov 91 to mid-late Jan 92.

Dr. Gary CRAWFORD of the University of Toronto has written to say he has accepted the invitation to Chair the Department of Anthropology for the next five years. His change of address will be:
Department of Anthropology
New Email address: [...]
Sidney Smith Building
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S 1A1

Dr. Clive GAMBLE (East Asian prehistoric archaeology)
Department of Archaeology
University of Southampton
Southampton SO9 5NH England
Home 0703 559037
Work 0703-593046
EMAIL: [...]
Clive is a Reader in Archaeology at the University of Southampton with several books to his credit. His main field is the British Lower Palaeolithic but he follows developments worldwide.

Dr. Lothar von FALKENHAUSEN writes that his new address from 9/1, 1991 is:
Department of the History of Art
University of California
Riverside CA 92521 USA

Ms. Susanne JUHL (Chinese prehistoric to early historic archaeology & history)
East Asian Institute
University of Århus
Ndr. Ringgade
8000 Århus C., Denmark
Home +75661916
Work +86136711
Susanne teaches Chinese language at the East Asian Institute but is following up private research interests on the Erlitou culture of central China. She recently visited Cambridge to utilise the excellent collections of the University Library for her research.

Prof. Charles T. KEALLY (Japanese prehistoric archaeology)
Department of Comparative Culture
Sophia University
4 Yonban-cho
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102 Japan
Home 0425-52-1618
Work 03-3238-4000/4020
FAX 03-3238-4076 (KEALLY atten.)
Tom has just been promoted to Professor at JochiDai. Congratulations! He teaches a full load of courses, since 1984 including phys anth and archaeology, arch & anth methods, world prehistory, East Asian prehistory, Japanese archaeology, origins of the Japanese, Shinto archaeology and cultural anthropology. Currently his efforts are being expended in developing a database of basic information on all Palaeolithic sites in the South Kanto region of Japan (around Tokyo).

Prof. David KEIGHTLEY (Chinese protohistoric & early historic archaeology, Department of History history and early paleography)
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
FAX 415-643-5323
EMAIL: [...]
Prof. Keightley is currently working on a book manuscript entitled Divination, Religion, and Kingship in Late Shang China. He hopes to have a draft ready for circulation by Dec'91.

Prof. Hideo KONDO (Japanese prehistoric archaeology)
2-2-15-506 Minamigaoka
Hadano-shi, Kanagawa-ken Japan
Work 0463-58-1211 ext. 3071
Prof. Kondo is Associate Professor of Archaeology at Tokai University who researches the beginnings of agriculture in India and Bulgaria, in addition to his interest in early Japanese cultures.

Dr. Jason KUO (Chinese early historic to medieval archaeology & history)
Dept of Art History & Archaeology
Room 1211-B, Art/Sociology Bldg.
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742 USA
Work 301-405-1499
FAX 301-405-4773
Jason has recently taken up this position at the University of Maryland.

HAN-SHAN TANG Ltd.
717 Fulham Road
London SW6 5UL England
Shop 071-731-2447
FAX 071-731-8009
Han-Shan Tang, the leading specialist supplier of books on Far Eastern and Central Asian Art and Archaeology, publishes catalogues which are necessary reading for scholars building libraries. One of their recent catalogue is the "Library of Max Loehr, Parts 1 & 2". The General Manager says that there is about a 75 percent turnover in books between catalogues and the great majority go within a few days to specialist collectors. So if you see something you want, FAX them immediately with your order. Specialist subject lists are also available upon request. Write to be put on their mailing list.

Mr. Katsuyuki OKAMURA (East Asian protohistoric archaeology)
1-4-20 Naka-Sakurazuka
Toyonaka City, Osaka 560 Japan
Home 06-845-1386
Work 06-943-6833
FAX 06-943-5530
Katsuyuki is a site supervisor with the Osaka City Cultural Properties Association. Since 1988 he has been researching the Nagahara site, a large complex site dating from the Upper Palaeolithic to the modern periods in the southeastern part of Osaka City, prior to the re-development of this area. He is currently excavating an early historic settlement and will work there for the next few years. He is especially interested in haniwa, and archaeology & modern society; this June he is travelling to Germany to tour its sites and archaeology.

Prof. Dr. Hi-Hyun PARK (East Asian prehistoric archaeology)
Department of Korean History
Seoul City University
8-3 Chonnong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu
130-743 Seoul Korea
Home 02-355-6903
Work 02-210-2405
Hi-Hyun is spending the year at I.P.H. in Paris while studying the schedules for the structures of huts in the Upper Palaeolithic and Pleistocene flora and fauna. He can be reached at the following address until December 1991: I.P.H., 1 rue René-Panhard 75013 Paris, France.

Philippe DALLAIS (East Asian pre-&proto-historic archaeology; ethnology and anthropology)
Ecluse 27
2000 Neuchatel, Switzerland or Av. Adrian-Jeandin 14
Home 038-251502 1226 Thônex
Geneva, Switzerland
Home 022-484013
Dallais is a student at the University of Neuchätel and will be going to Japan this summer for research.

Dr. Huguette ROUSSET (Japanese & Korean prehistoric & protohistoric archaeology, and paleoethnology)
29 rue Brézin
75014 Paris France
Home 45 39 30 51
Huguette is Ingenieur de Recherche at CNRS, Paris and has carried out research on the Yayoi- and Kofun-period cultures of Japan.

Mr. Ken SASAKI (Chinese and Japanese protohistoric to early  historic archaeology)
19 Tojiin Kita-machi
Kita-ku, Kyoto 603 Japan
Kyoto Home 075-461-5710
Harvard Work 617-495-2246
Ken is currently conducting his doctoral field research for the Department of Anthropology, Harvard University. At present, he is looking into the typology of the Yayoi and early Haji pottery. Eventually he will look at artifacts excavated from burials of the 2nd to 4th centuries AD in the Kinai region.

Prof. Richard SHUTLER, Jr. (East Asian prehistoric archaeology and  paleoanthropology)
Department of Archaeology
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, British Columbia
V5A 1S6 Canada
Home 604-734-2002
Work 604-291-4739
Prof. Shutler is Professor Emeritus at Simon Fraser University and is currently working on several papers regarding hominid and Pleistocene megafauna migration routes to Java and Sahuland, and on the origins of the Australian Aborigines. He spent November-December 1990 as the "Overseas Advisor" on the new Hong Kong Airport Project, Chek Lap Kok Island, directed by Bill Meacham. [see Reviews and Reports below]

SOCIÉTÉ ARCHÉO RÉALISE
c/o Mr. Kazuo Ueno or Ms. Emma Popik
56 Castletown Road
London W14 9HG England
Work 071-386-0803
FAX 071-385-5770
This is a branch of the Institute of Archeo-Replica in Tokyo that specialises in the production of archaeological replicas (artifacts, houses, site reconstructions). They are interested in cooperative projects [see Noteworthies #6 in EAANnouncements 3.]

Dr. Tim REYNOLDS (East Asian prehistoric archaeology)
Archaeology Unit, Dept of History
P.O. Box 35050
University of Dar Es Salaam
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Work +49192 ext. 2195/2199
Tim is a Cambridge Ph.D. who wrote his dissertation on the French Mousterian and then spent three years as an Evans Fellow of the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology retraining in Southeast Asian archaeology. He maintains an interest in the Palaeolithic of East Asia and will now have an opportunity to come to grips with East African material in his temporary posting in Tanzania.

Prof. Hiroshi TSUDE (East Asian prehistoric to early historic archaeology)
Department of Archaeology
Faculty of Letters
University of Osaka
Toyonaka-shi, Osaka Japan
Home 075-954-2370
Work 06-844-1151
FAX 075-954-2004
Prof. Tsude is primarily interested in the formative process of ancient states. His latest book is entitled The Formation Processes of Japanese Agricultural Society [in Japanese].

Prof. Lèon VANDERMEERSCH (protohistoric to medieval Chinese archaeology & history)
4 rue Valentin-Haüy
75015 Paris, France
Home 1-43 06 92 07
Work 1-45 53 21 35
FAX 1-44 53 65 05
Prof. Vandermeersch is Director of the Ecole Française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) in Paris and is currently working on a history of Confucianism, which he hopes to complete in 4-5 more years.

Mr. Shoh YAMADA (East Asian prehistoric archaeology)
The Commission of Buried Cultural Properties on Campus
Tohoku University
Katahira-cho, Sendai 980 Japan
Home 022-211-6826
Work 022-227-6200 ext. 3311
Shoh is a Research Associate of the TohokuDai Campus Commission of two years' standing. Professionally, his work is rescue excavation on the university campus, and his latest excavation has been the Sendai Castle (17-19th c.). His private research is focussed on lithic use-wear studies, and he is currently analysing use wear on stone reaping knives of the Yayoi period.

Ms. Mariko YAMAGATA (Japanese prehistoric archaeology)
2-1-7 Momoi
Suginami-ku
Tokyo 167 Japan
Home 03-3397-2486
Work 03-3812-2111 ext. 3793
Mariko is a graduate student in the Archaeology Ph.D. programme at Tokyo University. Her main interest is in Jomon archaeology, especially the pottery of the Incipient and Middle Jomon of central Japan. She is currently working on a series of translations with Mark Hudson for a volume on the Izu Islands, hopefully to be published as a special issue of Asian Perspectives.

Ms. Bettina ZORN (Chinese pre- & proto-historic archaeology)
Stanislaus-Göppert-Str. 6a
D-7808 Waldkirch i. Bg. Germany
Home 07681-20782
Bettina is currently preparing her Ph.D. thesis on state formation in China, focussing on the Erlitou culture of the Central Plain, Henan Province. After passing the entrance-examination for a Chinese Ph.D. in the Department of Archaeology at Peking University in 1988, she had the opportunity of visiting sites connected with her subject and a chance to attend an excavation for five months.

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REVIEWS & REPORTS:

Chek Lap Kok: project synopsis as of 20 May 1991
  by Robert Esser, Chek Lap Kok Site Assistant

Prior to its destruction as part of the mammoth port and airport development scheme in Hong Kong, the island of Chek Lap Kok has been the subject of a salvage archaeology project since 15 October 1990. The project was commissioned by the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the Hong Kong government, and received funding of HK$1.5 million from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Chek Lap Kok had previously been identified as having archaeological value. A complete Six Dynasties vessel was found at Fu Tei Wan in the southern part of the island; and a Tang Dynasty lime kiln had been partially excavated there, together with the Tang site of Sham Wan Tsuen in the northern part of the island by the Hong Kong Archaeological Society (HKAS) in 1982 (Cameron 1984). Survey of the island was begun in September 1990 and the excavation started in October under the direction of William Meacham, Chairman of the HKAS. Joining the project as assistant director was Richard Thomas, who had previously excavated in the United Kingdom, and a full-time crew of 12 workers. Richard Shutler, Professor Emeritus of Simon Fraser University, signed on for two months as advisor.

Five major localities have been excavated to date. Fu Tei (FT) and Fu Tei Wan (FTW), dating from the middle Neolithic to the Tang Dynasty; Ha Lo Wan (HLW), a Yuan Dynasty site; Kwo Lo Wan (KLW), predominately Bronze Age; and Sham Wan Tsuen (SWT), predominantly Tang Dynasty.

The first sites excavated were at FT and FTW, reopening the lime kiln there and testing the area where the vessel had been found for evidence of further activity. Extensive jungle clearing and excavation of test pits situated to sample the area generally yielded a great deal of material over a long occupation period. The Middle Neolithic (ca. 4000-3000 BC) was well represented with coarse corded-ware pottery, and the Late Neolithic (ca. 3000-1500 BC) with chalky and soft geometric wares. Bronze Age (ca. 1500-400 BC) hard geometric ware of identifiable pattern (studs-in-trellis, lozenge) and a nearly complete Sung Dynasty bowl and complete Tang vessel evinced occupation during those periods. At FT, an interesting regularity was the occurrence of pairs of complete neolithic vessels, sometimes in conjunction with stone tools. These were invariably found on the boundary of the cultural deposit and the sterile decomposed granite, inside holes in the decomposed granite. Pottery in general collectively indicates that these sites were inhabited during all periods of known occupation in Hong Kong, with the predictable hiatus during the Han Dynasty. The dates are corroborated by radio-carbon analysis from corresponding levels.

The most significant feature of FT and FTW are their stone industries. Stone flakes of fairly uniform raw materials were found in abundance. These flakes range in size from chips to complete rough-outs of tools to be polished, as well as pebble tools. Polishing stones were found, crossed with deep grooves of varying width and having concave sides for large surface polishing. These polishing stones, of varying (graduated?) grit sizes, flakes, and rough-outs were the tools of a large adze-making industry. Polished stone adzes numbering in the hundreds came from FT and FTW, as well as the other sites on this part of the island. Size and raw material of these adzes varies, as does shape: length, width, curve of working edge, shouldered/semi-shouldered. Uniquely, a stone barkcloth beater, one of only two found in the territory, provides a rare clue to everyday activity.

After four months the crew moved south to HLW. This site, like FT, is located in arable soil above the beach and yielded a large kiln complex of indeterminate nature. 13 kilns were excavated in the two months spent here. These kilns averaged roughly 1.5 m in diameter and were made of fired clay, with channels running around and across the floors. Pottery and radio-carbon dates place these in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Their purpose remains a mystery, however; thin layers of slag deposits proved predominantly iron on chemical analysis, but lack of the extensive debris associated with iron making, as well as any large ore deposit in the vicinity, make this conclusion difficult. No other debris was found in association to provide additional or alternative evidence of use.

Although further excavation could be illuminating, time compelled the team to move to the nearby site of KLW, situated on arable soil on a sandbar just above the beach, similar to FT and FTW, respectively. The upper site contained three fired clay pits approximately 1 m in diameter, as well as pottery suggesting neolithic and historical period occupation. Several oblong depressions dug through the shallow topsoil into the decomposed granite held complete vessels in conjunction with adzes, suggesting possible burials; the acidic nature of HK soils makes finding bones a rarity.

The lower site proved the more interesting, with a large Bronze Age deposit. Nearly complete vessels of the classic HK pottery were found. Three pairs of bronze-casting bi-valve molds for making axes in varying sizes came out of the same layer as two poorly preserved bronze pieces. These were in association with slotted stone bracelets found close by. A cache of ten stone rings in graduatied sizes were found in a burial near the decomposed granite limit of excavation. This productive site will be returned to in July, time permitting.

The beginning of April moved the team northward to the previously excavated sandbar site of SWT. Ho Chui Mei, of the Field Museum of Natural History, and Hugh Cameron, former Chairman of the HKAS, joined in for the work. Investigations were formerly conducted on about half of this locality, finishing in 1982. These inquiries resulted in the location and indentification of a Tang Dynasty lime processing site, replete with hundreds of coins to provide accurate dating in association with radio-carbon. Eight lime kilns were found, in various stages of preservation. Kiln furniture and pottery appropriate to a large industrial site completed the inventory.

Since the beginning of new excavations, four more kilns have been located, two actually in stratigraphic sequence-one below the other. The upper of these two is different in size and design from any previously seen in HK, perhaps resulting from modification and reuse, although lime deposits found within seem to suggest a similar function.

Survey and testing to find the habitation site associated with this industry, as well as other possible sites in the north of CLK, are currently being undertaken as well. The deadline for excavation is mid-July, as the machinery flattens the island in the path of the planned airport. CLK has provided a good opportunity for the study of a complete island in coastal south China; analysis and subsequent publication will soon provide the real detail of these efforts.

Reference: Cameron, Hugh & Villiams, BV (1984) Sham Wan Tsuen, site report. Journal of the Hong Kong Archaeological Society 10:10-43.

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Yoshinogari Update: the mysterious southern mound-burial
  by Mark Hudson, University Museum, Univ of Tokyo

[This note follows the publication of "Yoshinogari: a Yayoi settlement in northern Kyushu." Monumenta Nipponica 46.2:211-235, 1991, by Mark Hudson and G.L. Barnes]

Although in our recent article on Yoshinogari we mentioned the southern mound-burial, this update includes information from a pamphlet published by the Saga Board of Education in November 1990 which has just come to my attention. Layers of stamped earth were found during trial trenching in the south of the site in the summer of last year. As this stamped-earth technique was similar to that used for the northern mound-burial, excavations were carried out in the autumn and the feature was confirmed to be a second mound-burial (funkyūbo). Only four trenches were dug, dividing the mound into quadrants, and few details are known for sure about this feature.

The plan of the mound is unclear, but its dimensions are more than 45 m EW and 48 m NS. This is considerably larger than the northern mound-burial which is about 40 x 30 m. The southern mound is now some 2.8 m. high but has been levelled in historic times. Unlike the northern example, no jar burials were found in the southern mound. One rectangular pit, however, was discovered whilst I was visiting the site last November. According to the excavators this pit may have originally contained a wooden coffin, but no artifacts were found inside.

The southern mound has been dated to the early Middle Yayoi from pottery sherds found in the stamped-earth layers. This date corresponds to that of the northern mound, and although exact dates are not yet available, we can assume both mounds were in simulatneous use for at least a little while. The presence of two mound-burials of similar age at the same site throws up some interesting questions: If (as everyone has assumed) the northern mound represents the burials of the chiefly lineage of Yoshinogari, then who was buried in the southern mound? Why were jar burials used in the northern but apparently not in the southern mound? At present these questions are unanswerable but must be faced in any real understanding of the Yoshinogari site. The November 1990 report mentions the possibility that the southern mound was some sort of ritual feature rather than an actual burial mound. This remains a possibility, of course, but seems to have no direct supporting evidence in its favor.

Reference: Yoshinogari Iseki Hakkutsu Chosa Gaiho. Saga Prefectural Board of Education. 1990.

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A Workshop on The Chinese and Their Neighbors to the North
  by Katheryn M. Linduff, Univ of Pittsburg

[see Conference section below for papers given]

The cultural-historical developments in the region between the agricultural lands of early dynastic China and the steppe occupied by the nomadic groups of Inner Asia have long been of interest to students of the late neolithic and bronze age. The activities in the region variously known as the Ordos, the northern frontier, or the northern corridor, between about 1000 BC and 200 AD are characterized by interplay between the Chinese agriculturalists and the pastoral nomads originally from the steppe (grasslands). Intriguing bronze artifacts which are often used to identify various tribes in this region have been known for centuries and have been described in western literature as 'Animal Style', 'Scytho-Siberian', 'Sino-Siberian', or simply as 'Ordos'. Based on the results of recent archaeological investigations, especially in the People's Republic of China in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, it is now possible to be much more specific about defining both the occupation areas of some of these groups and the nature of their interaction with the Chinese.

The workshop had several goals. First, we reviewed archaeologically attested material which was used to identify the groups. Second, we developed a base chronological and regional definition of the groups. Third, we cross-identified materials long known in Museums and private collections in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, and elsewhere.

The workshop included persons from a variety of research specialities in order to get the broadest view of what is known of the material and the peoples who made and/or used them. Speakers came from Germany, Great Britain, USSR, Canada, PRC, and the US, and participants came from Hong Kong and Taiwan as well. One significant result of the conference was a reassessment of the contribution of the northern, non-Chinese to the development of early Chinese culture based on recent archaeological discoveries which document the presence of such nomadic groups well within the borders of traditional China. Speakers looked at this cultural exchange from linguistic, art historical, anthropological, and archaeological perspectives. The Conference Proceedings will form the basis for a book to be published within the next year.

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The Hokkaido Earthwatch Project
  by Gary Crawford, Univ of Toronto

For two field seasons on Hokkaido (1989, 1990), I had the pleasure of conducting research partially supported by Earthwatch. Both Earthwatch and I went into the program with some trepidation because doing fieldwork in Japan can be complicated under the best of circumstances, and we didn't know how the volunteers would be accepted in Japan. The research was extremely successful, and the volunteers as people and the volunteer system itself were met with great enthusiasm in Hokkaido. Much of the success was due to the hard work of my colleague, Prof. Yoshizaki of Hokkaido University. This has been among the best arrangements for fieldwork I have experienced. Of course, considerably more planning than usual is required due to the number of non-professionals involved, but Earthwatch provides much of the logistical support.

Over the period of our research we were able to involve 24 North Americans, one Australian, and one Japanese volunteer in our work. From a selfish perspective, I enjoyed being able to introduce Japan to the newcomers and learned from those who had different experiences in Japan than I have had. Furthermore, technical talent of the volunteers was always valuable during the field season.

The project is an expansion of recent research into the subsistence of both the Jomon and post-Jomon ancestors of the Ainu (Satsumon or Ezo-Haji). The Jomon research is providing an opportunity to further test the results of my doctoral dissertation (Crawford 1983) because two of the sites in question have substantial Middle Jomon occupations.

We have been able to expand our research into two new areas: 1) the Otaru-Yoichi coastal area and 2) the Chitose/Eniwa area of the Ishikari Plain. The second area brings to our database a region that is extremely fertile (figuratively and literally) and is slightly different environmentally from the Sapporo area, where our work has focussed in recent years (Crawford and Yoshizaki 1987, Crawford and Takamiya 1990).

In the context of our research, the Earthwatch crew facilitated a more thorough examination of the archaeobotanical problems than we have previously been able to do. For example, many more features could be sampled. Furthermore, house floors were divided into 50 cm grid units and sampled in their entirety. This is facilitating detailed spatial analysis. The gridding can apply to several distinct floor fill levels so we are also obtaining detailed stratigraphic information.

Every Ezo-Haji site we examine has evidence of domesticated plants. A highlight of our work involves data from the house floor of one of the earliest sites of this period, the Kashiwagi-gawa Site in Eniwa. It has cultigen densities ranging to over 400 grains per species per sample. The majority of seeds are foxtail and broomcorn millet, with additional small amounts of weed seeds. All evidence indicates that House 1 burned suddenly so these data represent a time capsule-that is, the instant that the house burned along with at least some of its contents. The highest densities of seeds are found near the oven, with at least two other concentrations of seeds appearing elsewhere on the floor. The only pottery concentration was found in the corner of the house next to the oven, close to one of the concentrations of seeds. It is entirely possible that grain had been stored in or near the pot, and then the grain was disbursed over the floor as the roof collapsed. One of the broomcorn millet seeds has been radiocarbon dated to about AD 780 (corrected). This marks the first time a cultigen seed has been directly dated in Japan.

References:
Crawford, Gary W. 1983. Paleoethnobotany of the Kameda Peninsula Jomon. Ann Arbor: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Anthropological Paper No. 73.
Crawford, Gary W. & Takamiya H. 1990. The origins and implications of late prehistoric plant husbandry in northern Japan. Antiquity 64.245:889-911.
Crawford, Gary W. & Yoshizaki, M. 1987. Ainu ancestors and early Asian agriculture. Journal of Archaeological Science 14:201-13.

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Notes from the EAAN Roundtable in New Orleans
  by Francis Allard, Univ Pittsburgh

For those of us interested in the history and archaeology of Ancient China, this year's Association for Asian Studies Conference, held at the Marriot in New Orleans between April 11 and 14, provided a steady but light diet of talks dealing with a number of relevant topics [see Conferences section below]. The highlight, however, was the EAAN Roundtable convened by Nancy Price. This consisted of a number of short talks and reports, some of which were followed by comments from Robin Yates and general discussion.

Robert Thorpe spoke on approaches to the study of the early Bronze Age in China. He pointed out deficiencies in the traditional approaches: too great a focus on the remains of elite culture; a lack of emphasis on examining patterning at both the intra- and inter-macroregional level; a perspective which remains overly historiographical in nature, isolating early Bronze Age cultures from late Neolithic and Zhou cultural patterning; and the assumption of the sequential transfer of power from one capital to the next. Thorpe proposes that Upper Erligang and Yinhsu II at Anyang were characterized by strong leadership and the accumulation of material at these two centers during their respective hegemonic periods. In contrast, he suggests that the transitional period between Erligang and early Yinhsu, and the later phases at Yinhsu, did not display such centralized accumulation of power and resources, being characterized by competing centers of power and greater stylistic diversity than during Erligang or Yinhsu II times.

Sarah Allan argued for a return to reexamining textual evidence for clues to the identity of local cultures in early China. Both during the talk and in the ensuing discussion, mention was made of the fact that the regional approach advocated by Eberhard, while rejected by some scholars (e.g. Karlgren), has resurfaced in contemporary archaeology of China. Allen stated that "Wolfram Eberhard's Lokalkulturnen im alten China was first published in 1942, almost fifty years ago. The first volume (Supplement to T'oung Pao, vol. 37) dealt with the cultures of north China; the second (Monumenta Serica, Monograph III, revised and translated as Local Cultures in South and East Asia, Leiden, E.J. Brill, 1968) with those of the south and east. Eberhard's work was based entirely on texts from which he built up chains of interlocking folk motifs and themes. His thesis that 'Chinese' civilization was formed from a number of different local cultures which grew together is remarkably similar to that of modern archaeological theories of spheres of interacting local cultures in the Neolithic period (see, for example, K.C. Chang's The Archaeology of Ancient China, 4th ed.), though it contrasted sharply with early assessments of the archaeological evidence as well as traditional Chinese views of an emergent civilization in the Yellow River Valley which diffused throughout the rest of China. Although there are still many problems in relating the textually based definitions of local cultures with those based on material artifacts, some of his results are particularly striking in light of recent archaeological evidence. For example, he described Shang culture as a mixture of elements of the North Culture and the southeastern culture which he called Yüeh; this may be related to current archaeological evidence of influence on the Shang from the northern Hongshan and southeastern Liangzhu cultures. Also striking, in light of the recent finds at Xin'gan in Jiangxi Province, is his description of Yüeh culture as having an independant bronze culture and large settlements in the 2nd m. BC. He notes that from his textual evidence that it is impossible to determine whether the use of bronze had originally come from the north or not."

I, Francis Allard, gave a short talk on the fieldwork which I plan to begin this September in conjunction with the Department of Anthropology at the University of Zhongshan in Guangzhou. The site to be excavated is a rockshelter site in Fenkai County, located in the western part of Guangdong Province. The occupation strata at the site date from the terminal Palaeolithic to the early Neolithic, a time span of particular importance in the archaeology of South China, where evidence for the occupation of such rockshelters and cave sites and the appearance of very early ceramics has been accumulating for a number of years. The talk included slides showing the range of material excavated from such sites as well as a discussion of some of the pertinent areas of investigation which I hope to pursue. These include 1) subsistence studies, including the recovery of plant material by flotation, a technique seemingly never attempted in South China until now; 2) geological formation processes at the site; and 3) settlement pattern studies, another approach not systematically carried out in South China.

Bong Wong KANG sent in a paper for distribution in which he focusses on a number of issues surrounding megalithic tomb society on Korea. He questions whether the traditional interpretation of megalithic tomb society as a ranked society during the Korean Bronze Age is in fact supported by the existing archaeological data. He points to the following to support his interpretation that megalithic tomb society was more likely egalitarian than hierarchical. To begin, less than 20 of more than 1,000 excavated megalithic tombs have produced in situ bronze artifacts. Relatively few, simple and locally produced stone artifacts were present in the graves. In contrast, stone cists, which have been thought of as contemporary with megalithic monuments, contained richer grave goods (including bronze artifacts) than the latter. For this reason, stone cists may actually be associated with a hierarchaical society which followed megalithic tomb cultures. Finally, he states that, in spite of the high amount of energy spent in building the Korean megalithic tombs, these are small when compared to European monuments of this type. In any case, he proposes that increased labor expenditure does not necessarily correlate with social ranking.

Nancy Price, as Convenor of the Roundtable, had the following comments in response to the presentations: "In listening to Bob Bagley's presentation at the Early China Roundtable and hearing Robert Thorp at the EAAN Roundtable, I wonder if the archaeology of Neolithic and Bronze Age China is not stuck in a rut; not that there aren't interesting problems and issues and much material to be analyzed. The field in the US is still somewhat dominated, it seems to me, by art historians using 'archaeological' evidence (this was very clear in Bagley's summary of the field of art history and archaeology for the EC Roundtable). And there seems to be either a constant reworking of old themes and much of the same material; or important questions are raised or suggested but no real effort is made to do the hard spadework through the journals and analyze the new evidence. Great finds are still singled out and treated as special cases with much of the Chinese discussion simply recast in English. This is not, however, the case with some of the work Thorp has done on elite versus royal cemetaries at Anyang, nor of some of the recent Ph.D. work, such as Ann Underhill's thesis on the Chinese Neolithic, or other work in progress but not yet in circulation."

The issues raised during the talks and the ensuing discussions serve to generate a clear view of the discipline of Chinese archaeology in the process of redefining itself and expanding its methodological approach. The adoption of a more anthropological or processual perspective, while encouraged for some time by a number of authors, will surely be carried out at a faster pace in the realm of prehistoric systems than in the study of early Chinese civilizations, where the training has until now been overwhelmingly historiographical in nature. Nevertheless, while some analytical methods used in the study of early Neolithic rockshelters may differ from those used in the investigation of Shang intra-macroregional systems, the immediate objectives aimed at by most archaeologists, namely information on spatial and temporal patterning at both an intra- and inter-site level, is common to archaeologies dealing with both prehistoric and historical periods. Regardless of its temporal associations, the archaeological material from which so many of our interpretations emerge is in fact available for a number of careful analytical procedures which can provide clues to such patterning. I applaud Robert Thorpe's call for a less historically guided and more processual archaeology of early Chinese civilizations, but I suggest that only with an understanding of the information which can be obtained from these materials can such patterning be discerned. The operationalization of methodologies needs to follow the recognition that spatial and temporal patterning in fact exists and can provide important information on the dynamics of early historical systems. Traditionalists should not see the contextualization of Chinese archaeology as a threat to the recognition of the special nature of early Chinese civilizations, but rather as a welcome sign that the historical record may in fact be further enriched through methods developed over the last decades in the field of anthropological archaeology. They may in fact be experiencing the best of both worlds.

 

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JOBS & GRANTS

University of Hawai'i, Manoa (in Honolulu), Dept of Anthropology invites applications for a tenure track Asst. or Assoc. Prof. (Pos. No. 84206), full-time, general funds, in archaeology, pending approval. Successful applicant will start in Spring 1992 or Fall 1992. The department seeks to hire an individual who will maintain and then develop an internationally recognized research program in Asian prehistory. Subregional specialties may include Southeast Asia, East Asia or South Asia. Minimum qualifications: For Asst. Prof., a Ph.D. is required at the time of hiring as is research experience in Asia. Research skill in archaeometry or paleoenvironmental analysis or archaeological method and theory is required. For Assoc. Prof., in addition to the qualifications for Asst. Prof., applicants must have a record of accomplishments, including nationally recognized scholarship, teaching experience and successful grant requests. Duties: maintain and then develop an internationally recognized research program in Asian prehistory, undergraduate and graduate teaching of anthropology and Asian archaeology courses, supervision of undergraduate and graduate student research and conducting research in Asian archaeology, as well as contributing community service. Salary range: Asst. Prof. $36,408 to $44,280; Assoc. Prof. $42,576 to $51,816. The University of Hawai'i is an equal opportunity and affirmative action institution and encourages applications from women and minorities. Applicants should send a letter stating their teaching and research interests, vitae, and the names of three referees to: Dr. P. Bion Griffin, Dept. of Anthropology, 2424 Maile Way, University of Hawaii, Honolulu HI 96822. Closing date: Sept 15, 1991.

Victoria and Albert Museum, London has a Curator vacancy for the period 1 Sept 1991 to 31 May 1992 as a short-term contract post to assist with the general duties of the Far Eastern Collection in the sphere of "Care of and Access to the Collections", for which training will be provided. Detailed tasks will include: supervision and coordination of object movements; assistance with the care of objects in storage; coordination of appointments systems for researchers and students to view objects off display; help in administering the loans programmes; inputting data into the computerised object location system 'ROLO'. In addition, the post-holder will be expected to complete an assignment to completely catalogue a designated area of the Far Eastern Collection. This will involve compiling detailed references from English and Chinese/ Japanese/ Korean sources. Salary for 9 months will be between £8,742.75 and £10,840.50 depending on qualifications and experience.

Candidates should possess degree-level qualifications in either Chinese, Japanese or Korean studies, or an equivalent qualification. Competence in one of these three languages is required. Some previous experience of museum work is desirable but not essential. Applications with detailed CV should be sent to Sandra Knott, Personnel Office, Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL. Closing date for applications is 30 June 1991; interviews will be held in July.

The American Museum of Natural History in New York provides small grants for scholars wishing to research its collections. The Asian collections of the American Museum of Natural History include archaeological materials collected in the Gobi Desert by the Central Asiatic Expedition in the 1920s. For further information about collections study grants, write to Ms. Diane Bynum, Office of Grants and Fellowships, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St., New York NY 10024-5192. 212-769-5892; FAX 212-769-5233.

National Endowment of Humanities (USA) offers grants of up to $750 to assist individuals in traveling to use the research collections of libraries, archives, museums, or other repositories. These awards help defray such research expenses as transportation, subsistence, lodging, and photocopying. The application deadline is July 15 for travel after Dec 1st; and January 15 for travel after June 1 next year. Contact NEH, Division of Fellowships and Seminars, Room 316, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20506 USA 202-786-0466.

Scholarships and Fellowships in Japan (for Europeans):
In response to Europe's increasing interest in Japan, three new academic grants, administered by the Japanese Embassy, were established last year. They are centred around the Japanese-German Centre, Berlin, and are in addition to the Monbusho Scholarships. If you are interested in any of the following, all of which attract travel and generous living allowances, please apply to the Education section of the Japanese Embassy in London.

University of Chicago Library Travel Grant Program
The Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago has announced that it will award a limited number of travel grants to assist visiting scholars from outside the Chicago metropolitan area in their use of the Japanese section of the East Asian Library. Grants of up to $250 each will be awarded to help defray travel or living expenses, or a combination of both. Special consideration will be given to those residing in the Midwest and in areas where no major East Asian collection is available. Interested applicants should submit a brief description of their research topic related to East Asian studies and a brief statement of their intended use of the library collection. Address inquiries and applications to the Director, The Center for East Asian Studies, The University of Chicago, 5848 South University Avenue, Pick 121, Chicago IL 60637-1515 USA.

National Library of Australia Travel & Research Grants Program
The NLA usually awards three Harold White Fellowships annually to enable established scholars, writers, and librarians to work for periods of three to six months on materials in the library's collection, which is especially strong in Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Korean, and Thai publications. The competition is open to residents of any country. The deadline for completed applications is April 30. For further details, contact Marie Sexton, Principal Librarian, Asian Collections, National Library of Australia, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia; 06-262-1519; FAX 06-257-1703.

ICSK Fellowships
The International Cultural Society of Korea offers predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships for Korean studies to scholars, students and other professionals overseas who wish to carry out in-depth research in the humanities, social sciences and arts in Korea. Applications are due by October 31; fellowships are normally awarded for periods between March 1 and December 31. The awards include return economy airfare and a monthly stipend of 1,350,000 Korean Won for postdoctoral fellows and 900,000 Won for predoctoral fellows. Write for application form to Fellowship Program, ICSK, CPO Box 2147, Seoul Korea 82-02-753-3467; FAX 82-02-757-049.

CCK Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (Europe)
The European Association of Chinese Studies (EACS) has established a CCK Fellowship Committee to administer fellowships from the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation (Taipei) to young scholars of Chinese studies in Europe. Final-year pre-doctoral students are eligible for grants up to one calendar year at US$1,200/month. Doctoral students ready to submit and scholars within 5 years of obtaining their doctorates but still without salaried academic positions are eligible for post-doctoral grants up to two calendar years at US$1,500/month. Applications are due October 1st of each year and forms can be obtained from the Secretariat, CCK Fellowship Committee, EACS, at the Sinological Institute, University of Leiden, PO Box 9515, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands 31-71-272217 afternoons only; FAX 31-71-272603.

 

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NOTEWORTHIES

 

  1. THE BRITISH MUSEUM GALLERIES
    Three new galleries and display areas for East Asian art have recently been opened at the British Museum in London. To accommodate the galleries, the old prints and drawings gallery housed in a high-ceilinged wing of the museum was gutted and divided into two floors. The upper floor now contains the Japanese Gallery, consisting of the Urasenke Gallery, Main Gallery and the Konica Gallery (Rooms 92-94), and is fitted out in beautiful wood cabinets and carpeted floor; it was opened in 1990. At the same time, the lower floor was completed and opened to the public; it consists of two galleries: the new Prints & Drawings Gallery and the Oriental Gallery (now showing an exhibition of "Chinese Pottery and Porcelain from Prehistory to the Present"). In February 1991, new display areas for Korean art were opened at the North Entrance and on the North Stairs of the museum. These are preparatory to the development of another new gallery explicitly for Korean materials in the area that will be vacated by the British Library as it moves to its new site between 1993-96. Finally, the old Chinese and India Gallery is currently closed and will reopen in 1992 as a major gallery for the arts of China and India. At the west end of this gallery will be a specially conditioned area for the display of the Buddhist sculptures from the Amaravati stupa in southern India. By the mid-1990s, the British Museum's East Asia collections will be well worth a trip to see in their new surroundings!
     
  2. EARLY CHINA
    In EAANnouncements 3, a notice was carried for normal subscriptions to Early China, the foremost bulletin on Chinese proto-history. The Society for the Study of Early China is now recruiting new subscribers and offering volumes 14 and 15 at a combined rate of $45. Students may subscribe to the journal for $20 (per issue) upon proof of student status. All volumes are shipped 4th class book rate (domestic) and/or AO surface (foreign). Air mail is an extra $24.81. The annual subscription fee includes membership in the Society, receipt of Early China News, as well as Early China. Send your cheque or international money order payable to 'UC Regents' to Publications Office, Institute of East Asian Studies, 2223 Fulton, 6th floor, University of California Berkeley CA 94720 USA.
     
  3. KOREAN GALLERY IN THE ROYAL VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM
    A Korean gallery will be opened by 1992 in the Royal Victoria & Albert Museum in London according to a contract concluded between the museum and the National Museum of Korea. The gallery will be sponsored by Samsung Business Group, which will pay approximately 600 million won (=US$860,000) for its construction, and it will be named the 'Samsung Gallery of Korean Art.' The collection of Korean cultural properties, which consists of 280 ceramics, 20 metal craftworks, four Buddhist paintings, and 15 pieces of ancient furniture and tapestry will be displayed in a 132-square meter room on the 1st floor of the Museum's main building. (from ICSK Newsletter 2/1:13)
     
  4. GRANTS RECEIVED

    J. PAUL GETTY TRUST FOR 1989-90:
    (from the Asian Studies Newsletter, Annual Meeting 1991)
    Falkenhausen, Lothar von (Stanford University): Postdoctoral research fellowship on Ritual and Art in the Chinese Bronze Age: substitution of media and the spread of dynastic cults, $26,000.

    Paludan, Ann (Yale University Press): Publication subsidy for The Chinese Spirit Road: the classical tradition of stone tomb sculpture. $7,500.

    Sichuan University Museum: Publication subsidy for Journal of Southern Ethnology and Archaeology, $12,000.

    Academy of Korean Studies 1990-91:
    (from Academy News 6.1 Spring/Summer 1990)

    Sorensen, Bent (Carlsberg Foundation Researcher, Denmark) Research on Buddhist Sculpture of the Three Kingdoms Period compared with Asuka Buddhist Sculpture.
     
  5. UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA CLIMATIC HISTORY PROJECT
    The University of Arizona has initiated a research project to bring together information on climatic variations in monsoon regions of Asia over the last 400 years. Among major areas of interest are tree ring records for the region, historical and instrumental records, and ice core records from the high mountains of China. A workshop on historical climate and dendroclimatic research is planned for 1992, the location to be announced. Interested persons are invited to contact one of the following: M. Hughes, Principal Investigator, Laboratory for Tree Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ 85721 USA or R. Bradley, Department of Geology and Geography, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst MA 01003 USA (tree ring or historical records from monsoon Asia). Lonnie Thompson, Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University, Columbus OH 43210-1308 USA (information on ice core records). (from the Asian Studies Newsletter, Annual Meeting 1991)
     
  6. CHINA HOUSE GALLERY EXHIBIT
    Ancient Chinese Bronze Art: casting the sacral vessel, China Institute of America, New York City, through 15 June 1991. The focus of this presentation is the bronze casting technology of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. While other ancient civilizations used hammering of lost-wax castings to shape their metal objects, China's great bronze art was created with the unique piece-mold casting process. Ritual vessels, weapons and personal ornaments are selected from American collections and displayed with fragments of the ancient molds that created them. (from Asian Studies Newsletter April/May 1991:13).
     
  7. CSCPRC INITIATIVE IN ARCHAEOLOGY
    Archaeology has been a focus of CSCPRC (Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China) programming since the 1970s, when several delegations of American scholars interested in archaeological topics visited the PRC under CSCPRC auspices. International symposia bringing together both US and Chinese archaeologists have also been supported (Honolulu, 1982 and Airlie House, 1986), as have a number of American post- and pre-doctoral fellows and Chinese visitors. Since late 1988 the CSCPRC has committed itself more formally to promoting the discipline in both China and the US, and to that end it has formed a Committee on Chinese Archaeology chaired by David N. Keightley (UC-Berkeley) to coordinate and foster activities. For a brief overview, see China Exchange News 19.1 (Spring, 1991): 29-30.

    In March 1991, Prof. Keightley headed a delegation of American scholars who visited Beijing for the purpose of advancing a number of cooperative initiatives in archaeology. By good chance the delegation's visit came just a few weeks after the State Council announced new "Methods of Managing Archaeological Work Involving Foreign Organizations" (dated 22 Feb 91). The CSCPRC delegation met with about a dozen Chinese counterparts, including archaeologists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (CAS), the Institute of Archaeology (CASS), the Museum of History, the Department of Archaeology of Peking University, and the State Administrative Bureau of Museums and Archaeological Data. A number of initiatives were discussed during four days of roundtable sessions, visits to units, and informal gatherings.

    The CSCPRC Committee on Chinese Archaeology will work to promote initiatives that will heighten the visibility of Chinese archaeology in North America and increase interaction between Chinese and American archaeologists generally. These initiatives encompass but are not limited to:

    1) Fellowships for Chinese and American archaeologists, usually graduate students or young professionals, to pursue research and to gain field experience in each country.
    2) A methodological workshop on ceramics analysis to be conducted in China in May-June 1992. Instructors for this workshop will be William Longacre (Arizona) and Prudence Rice (University of Illinois-Carbondale).
    3) Initiatives in computer applications in archaeology.
    4) Additional fund raising to provide subventions for Chinese publications in archaeology.

    It is likely that a counterpart Chinese committee will be organized in the near future. The CSCPRC Committee, for its part, will make every effort to promote awareness of opportunities in Chinese archaeology among professional organizations in North America, including the Society for American Archaeology, the American Anthropological Association, and the Association for Asian Studies. Members of the March 1991 delegation in addition to David N. Keightley were Melvin Aikens (Univ Oregon), Albert Dien (Stanford Univ), Lothar van Falkenhausen (UC-Riverside), John Olsen (Univ Arizona), Robert Thorp (Washington Univ, St. Louis) and Anne Underhill (Franklin and Marshall). submitted by R. Thorp
     
  8. INDEPENDENT SCHOLARS OF ASIA NEWSLETTER
    In EAANnouncements 3, the creation of a new organization named the Independent Scholars of South Asia was reported. Now, it seems there is a newsletter taking in all of Asia, offering information relevant to independent scholars in the field of East, South, Southeast and Southwest Asian studies on grants, vacancies, reports on ongoing research, brief essays on Asian culture, as well as book announcements and reports. Subscription rates and $10 general and $5 student or supporting members. Send orders and inquiries to Ruth-Inge Heinze, Editor, 2321 Russell St #3A, Berkeley CA 94705 USA. (from the Asian Studies Newsletter, Annual Meeting Issue 1991)
     
  9. FMF SUMMER ARCHAEOLOGY PRACTICUM IN CHINA
    Xian Jiaotong University, in cooperation with the Fudan Museum Foundation, is offering two one-month summer excavation practicum in combination with two-week tours in the PRC. Students (including high school seniors), teachers, and interested adults are eligible to participate. For further information, contact Alfonz Lengyel, Fudan Museum Foundation, 1522 Schoolhouse Road, Ambler PA 19002 USA; 215-699-6448. (from the Asian Studies Newsletter, Annual Meeting Issue 1991)
     
  10. DEPT OF ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY, SOAS, UNIV OF LONDON
    At the School of Oriental and Africal Studies, the former Centre for Art and Archaeology has now become a full-fledged Department, and a first-year undergraduate course is being offered on "The art and archaeology of East Asia." Staff members covering East Asia are: Dr. Youngsook Pak (history of Korean art, Buddhist art, theory and methodology of art history in the German tradition); Ms. Rosemary Scott, Curator, Percival David Foundation (Chinese ceramics, Chinese lacquer and early Chinese textiles); Mr. Timothy Screech (history of Japanese art); Prof. Roderick Whitfield (Chinese Buddhist art; paintings from Dunhuang, Chinese pictorial art and narrative painting).
     
  11. ICSK SERVICES FOR MUSEUMS ABROAD
    A tour of museums in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe was supported by the International Cultural Society of Korea between 10 Nov - 9 Dec, 1990. Prof. Kim Kwang-on (Director, The Inha University Museum), Mr. Ye Yong-hae (Commissioner of Cultural Properties), and Prof. Yoon Yong-yi (Wonkwang University) surveyed Korean collections in the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, the National Gallery of Czechoslovakia in Prague, the Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts in Budapest, and the National Museum of Poland in Warsaw, and gave museum authorities their expert advice on the presentation and preservation of Korean relics. This survey was preceded by tours to the United States, resulting in the publication of Korean Relics in the United States (1989), and to Western Europe, with a publication due out in July 1991. (from ICSK Newletter 1.1, Dec'90)
     
  12. ICSK GIFT TO U.S. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
    The International Cultural Society of Korea presented a gift of US$1 million to the U.S. Library of Congress in January 1990 on the occasion of the bicentennial of the the U.S. Congress. The gift helped the Library to establish an independent Korean Section in October 1990. Currently headed by Dr. Ley P. Yang, it will strenthen the acquisition of Korean scholarly publications and promote a variety of scholarly and cultural programs associated with the Korean collection. (from ICSK Newletter 1.1:13, Dec'90)
     
  13. KODAI, A NEW JOURNAL
    Professor Ryoji MOTOMURA of the University of Tokyo visited the Japan Research Centre at SOAS, University of London, in December 1990 and announced the publication of a new Western (mostly English) language journal Kodai (Journal of Ancient History). The first volume contains a paper by Kiyoaki KITO on "Recent trends in the historiography of early Japan." For further information, contact the editorial board of Kodai, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan. (from JRC News 9:9, Jan'91)
     
  14. SCIENTISTS' GUIDE
    The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan has published an English-language guide for overseas specialists seeking research positions in Japan, entitled Gaijin Scientist: how to find a research post in Japan and what it's like when you get there (130 pp., ¥3,500). Prepared with the cooperation of more than 20 British researchers with experience working at government research institutes and corporations, the book consists of eight sections, including an outline of scientific research, research being done at national research institutes (including universities), corporate research, and information on living in Japan. Especially valuable are its critical view of the world of the sciences and its hints for survival for scholars. Inquiries regarding Gaijin Scientist should be directed to the British Chamber of Commerce (Dai-16 Kōwa Bldg, 1-9-20 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 03-3505-1734. (from the Japan Foundation Newsletter Mar '91)
     
  15. EAST ASIAN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE
    A new International Society for the History of East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine has been formed based in France. Members of the Society receive an annual subscription to the journal Chinese Science. Application forms and membership details are available from Dr. Georges Métailié, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 57 rue Cuvier, Paris 75231 France.
     
  16. INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
    The Institute of South-East Asian Biology has now formally changed its title to the Institute of Tropical Biology in order to more accurately reflect the diverse tropical interests in biology at the University. Research and teaching involving tropical topics is carried out in the departments of Agriculture, Chemistry, Forestry, Geography, Plant and Soil Science and Zoology. (from ASEASUK News 8:7, 1990)
     
  17. THAI-YUNNAN PROJECT, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
    The project, which has focused on studies of Tai/Dai peoples in both Southeast Asian and Southern China, and which has produced its tenth newsletter, now faces an uncertain future. It has not received recognition from Australian Government instrumentalities, and with a dwindling budget, the Research School of Pacific Studies at ANU has had to place other projects ahead of the Thai-Yunnan Project for funding. It is, however, hoped that the translation programme will continue for some time. Enquiries should be addressed to: The Editor, Thai-Yunnan Project Newsletter, Department of Anthropology, RSPacS, ANU, Box 4 GPO, Canberra ACT 2601, Austraila. (from ASEASUK News 8:8, 1990)
     
  18. WATERPROOF NOTEBOOKS FOR FIELDWORK
    In cooperation with Arkaeologist Felthåndbog (The Danish Archaeological Field Manual) and the Geological Institute of Aarhus University, a new waterproof notebook, suitable for fieldwork under variable outdoor conditions, is being developed and marketed. The pages of the notebook appear with a surface like those of a 'normal' squared notebook, but they are made of plastic Artosyl 50 (100 g). This means that drawing and writing in pencil, ball-pen, etc. can be carried out even under circumstances when normal paper would decay due to rain. The notebook contains 128 squared pages, size 106 x 160 mm, and is bound in stiff water-repellent buckram full binding. The price is Danish kroners 79.0 apiece + postage, to be paid on delivery. They can be ordered from Museumstjenesten, SjŌrupvej 1, Lysgård DK-8800 Viborg, Denmark.
     
  19. THE JOSEPH LEVENSON BOOK PRIZE
    The Wu Liang Shrine: the ideology of early Chinese pictorial art, by Wu Hung, (Stanford University Press, 1989) has won the pre-20th century category of the Joseph Levenson Book Prize administered by the Association for Asian Studies: "Wu Hung's book is a comprehensive study of the art and inscriptions on the funerary shrine of a scholar named Wu Liang who died in 151 A.D., a few decades before the end of the Han dynasty. It is located in what is now Jiaxiang county of Shangdong province. This beautifully decorated offering shrine was first studied in the eleventh century, and has been the object of intermittent investigation ever since by scholars in China, Japan and the West. Wu Hung's masterly treatment is the culmination of centuries of scholarship, a rich combination of traditional textual study with modern critical approaches. It includes a discussion of the history of scholarship on the shrine, detailed descriptions and illustrations of the wall carvings, and translations of all its inscriptions. But the real beauty of this book is its elucidation of the ideology of the carvings in the context of Han dynasty thought and literature. It is this integration of textual, historical, iconographic and stylistic approaches that established the methodological importance of Wu Hung's study. This combination opens art history to the rest of the cultural world, and places it in the middle of all discussions of Han thought and religion. In sum, this is a most impressive book, well worty of the Levenson Prize. The Stanford University Press is also to be congratulated for its excellent printing and arrangement of this volume." (from AAS Newsletter April/May 1991:3)
     
  20. VIDEO TAPES
    • The Tang Dynasty: the golden age of Chinese culture (60 mins). This production explores the significant advances made during the period 618-907 AD. It shows a developing governing class of scholars, the cosmopolitan nature of Chinese society, and examples of the rich culture of the Tang Empire. Developed by Chung-wen Shih and Peter Montagnon. For sale from The Annenberg/CPB Project, 901 E Street, N.W., Washington D.C. 20004 USA.
    (from AAS Newsletter April/May 1991:6)

    • Silk Road, the acclaimed documentary series, is being produced on video tape; the first six are now available, and the second six will be produced by Sept 1991. The collection follows the silk road travelled by Marco Polo from Rome to China. Through visits to archaeological ruins as well as to modern cities, the viewer is able to explore Asia's art, culture and history. Each tape is approximately one hour and sells for $29.95; $149.95 for the six-title set. For additional information contact Central Park Media; 301 West 53rd St, 13th Fl, New York NY 10019 USA; 212-977-7456; FAX 212-977-8709. (from the Asian Studies Newsletter, Annual Meeting Issue 1991)
     
  21. DONGBEI SCHOLARS LOOK FOR CONTACTS
    An informal group of professors and graduate students who study or have done research in the three Northeast provinces of China (Dongbei) are interested in contacting other scholars about research and study on Dongbei issues. The group hopes to meet at the AAS annual meeting in Washington, April 2-5, 1992, and to form an international association of scholars who focus on Dongbei in their research and writing. Anyone interested in presenting a paper that focuses on Dongbei research, or in helping to form an association, contact: Stephen Thomas, Department of Political Science, University of Colorado, Denver CO 80204 USA 303-556-2746; or Sherry Gray, 145 Garritt St. #4, Hanover IN 47243 USA 812-866-5686. Please alert others to this work. (from AAS Newsletter April/May 1991:10)
     
  22. EARLY MEDIEVAL CHINA MAILING LIST ON BITNET
    A list server (electronic discussion group) specifically devoted to studies of Early Medieval China has been launched on BITNET to help advance academic and personal dialogue within this wide subfield. The list acts as an electronic bulletin board and allows anyone with BITNET access to send messages, queries, documents, etc. to a community focused on the study of China in the period between the Han and the Tang dynasties. Receive mail from the list by sending the message, "SUBSCRIBE EDMEDCH-L (your name)" to the address "[...]". To send mail to the list membership, address the message to "[...]". A similar group centered around Chinese studies as a whole, comes out of Princton. To sign onto that list server, send message "SUBSCRIBE CHINA (your name)" to "[...]". (from AAS Newsletter April/May 1991:10)
     
  23. UNESCO MARITIME SILK ROAD EXPEDITION
    For four months between Nov '90 and Feb '91, an international research team aboard the Fulk-Al-Salamah (Ship of Peace) docked at 22 ports in 16 countries between Venice and Osaka, retracing and investigating the sea routes for the silk trade of old. Seminars on Silk Route topics were given in many ports by the 27 scholars from 18 countries making up the research team, and the media, consisting of 20 teams from 6 nations, covered the journey extensively. An earlier journey across the 'Desert Silk Road' was completed in July and August 1991, and a final journey across the 'Steppe Silk Road' is planned for later this year. (from Korea Newsreview 2 Mar '91 and Unesco Newsletter 2 '90 from the Centre for East Asian Cultural Studies, Tokyo)
     
  24. ARCHETYPE OF THE PAEKCHE RITUAL PRESERVED IN JAPAN
    For ten days, 27 Jan-5 Feb '91, seven eminent scholars of ancient art and folklore were dispatched by the International Cultural Society of Korea to Nangoson, Miyazaki-ken in Kyushu, Japan where a celebration for a Paekche Village construction in that area took place. The highlight of the celebration was a demonstration of the ritual which has been held in the village annually in memory of the Paekche royal family who sought refuge there after their country was invaded and eventually taken over by the allied forces of Tang China and Shilla. Paekche is known to have had profound cultural influence on Japan during Korea's Three Kingdoms Period. The Korean scholars' visit was made to find a clue to the archetype of the royal ancentral rite of the Paekche Kingdom and to shed light on the traditional cultural relations between Korea and Japan. (from the ICSK Newsletter 2.1'91)
     
  25. MANCHESTER ANCIENT TEXTILE UNIT
    The Director, J.P. Wild, of the Manchester Ancient Textile Unit within the Department of Archaeology at the University of Manchester, England, has written to say that Han Chinese textiles are one of the research interests of his Unit. Any communication or exchange of research materials from other scholars working in this area would be most appreciated.

 

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CONFERENCES:

CONFERENCE CALENDAR

1991: 13th International Symposium on Asian Studies. This will be a symposium based on non-attendance, with submitted papers published in a Conference Proceedings volume. Contact Mr. Nelson Leung, Director, Asian Research Service, GPO Box 2232, Hong Kong 573-3641; 573-1788; FAX 852-838-4849.

Aug 2-9 '91: International Union for Quaternary Research, Beijing
See details in EAANnouncements 2.

Aug 20-30 '91: 1st International Academic Conference on the Agricultural Archaeology, Nanchang, Jiangxi. See details in EAANnouncements 2.

Sept 1-7 '91: International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia

Sept 2-4 '91: A Conference on Archaeological Sciences, University of York, UK. The 1991 Scientific Archaeology conference aims to review the contributions of scientific techniques to archaeological problems. Papers are invited on a wide range of topics in archaeological science, but the organizers particularly wish to encourage contributions which fall within one of the three conference themes of "Scientific methods in the archaeology of the early mediaeval town and its context," "Archaeological site location, interpretation and presentation," and "Scientific approaches to the Neolithic-Bronze Age interface." Send a 300-400 word abstract for vetting to: Dr. J. Szymanski, Archaeological Sciences '91, Dept of Electronics, York University, Heslington, York YO1 5DD UK 0904-432365, FAX 0904-432335, Email: [...].

Sept 13-15 '91: Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs, Iowa City IA, USA.
Three proposals are needed for a panel on Medieval China; any topics are welcome, but preference will be given to urbanism, or material culture and institutions.

Sept 16-19 '91: European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS), and Japan Anthropology Work Shop (JAWS), Berlin

Sept 16-27 '91: International Conference on Xia and Shang Culture, Luoyang. The Conference costs are US$40 per day food and lodging + $80 conference fee. Further information can be obtained from Wang Yuxin or Yang Shengnan, Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Science, 6 Ritan lu, Beijing 1000020.

mid-Oct '91: The 2nd International Conference on Bronze Drums and Bronze Cultures in Southern China and Southeast Asia, Nanning. Contact Prof. Jiang Tingyu, The Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, Guangxi 530022 PRChina. Topics: 1) Ancient bronze drums, 2) Cultural characteristics on bronze cultures in Southern China and Southeast Asia, 3) Social organizations and national groups in Southern China and Southeast Asia in the bronze era, 4) Other related issues. 20 min. papers in Chinese or English are solicited. US$80 registration fee.

Nov 23-27' 91: International Symposium on Prehistoric Culture in South China, Fengkai County, Guangdong Province, PRChina. For details write to Shang Zhitan, curator of Anthropological Museum, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, PRChina.

Dec 2-6 '91: 4th International Senckenberg Conference, Frankfurt am Main.
See details in EAANnouncements 3.

Dec 16-19 '91: Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG), Univ of Leicester.
This is Britain's largest international archaeology conference. It aims to bring together all of those interested in the theoretical underpinnings of archaeology, from all branches of the discipline. Session proposals due 30 June, Individual papers proposals due 1 Oct, 1991. Send proposal and 200 word abstract to The Convenor, TAG 1991, Dept of Archaeology, Univ of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH UK.

Apr 2-5 '92: Association for Asian Studies (AAS), Washington D.C.

May 8-12 '92: Society for American Archaeologists (SAA), Pittsburgh

Sept 13-17 '92: European Association for Chinese Studies (EACS), Paris
 

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PAPERS READ

Sixth International Academic Conference on Korean Studies, 25-28 June'90,
The Academy of Korean Studies at 50 Unjung-dong, Songnam-si, Kyonggi-do 462-791 Korea had as its conference theme "Korean Studies: its cross-cultural perspectives." Five papers were given in archaeology for a coordinated panel on "The Wooden Coffin Tomb Culture":

Lim, Byong-tae: The wooden coffin tomb culture in the Daedong River region
Kang, In-gu: A study on the early mounded tomb at the Han River region
Lim, Hyo-taek: The wooden coffin tomb culture in the Nakdong River region
Yun, Yong-jin: The society with wooden coffin tomb in the ancient Kyongju area
Oda, Fujio: The wooden coffin tomb culture in Japan
 

International Conference on Dunhuangology, Dunhuang Academy, 7-15 Oct '90.
190 scholars gathered from around the world to hear papers on the themes of Grotto Archaeology; Art; History, Geography, Historical Documents, and Religions; and Linguistics and Literature. A listing of only the Grotto Archaeology papers includes the following, plus Prof. Abe's, who kindly sent in the schedule to the 'nouncements:

Shi, Weixiang: On the grottoes of Northern Liang Dynasty in Mogaoku, Dunhuang
Liu, Hongliang: No. 44 Cave in Toyug evidences the date of the three earliest caves in Mogao grottoes
Li, Chongfeng: Studies on the caves of the Later-Northern Dynasties period in the Mogao grottoes
Dong, Yuxiang: A comparative study of Mogao grottoes and other grottoes of the period of the 16 states in Gansu Province
Zhang, Baoxi: Investigation and study of the middle and small grottoes in Dunhuang, Anxi, Subei, Yumen
Li, Wensheng: A people view the statues moulded by mass organizations in Mogaoku grottoes
Zhang, Xuirong and He, Jingzhen: A study of the contents of cave 275 in Mogao grottoes
He, Shizhe: A study of the eight Buddhas on the north wall of Cave 285 in Mogao grottoes
Koyama, Hitsuru: Characteristics of the Sui caves in Dunhuang
Tan, Zhong: On the affinity of 'long' and 'feng' with 'naga' and 'gareda': a reinforcement of earlier proposition
Du, Doucheng: From Cakravartiraja to Dragon King
Yang, Hong: Military equipment in the murals of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang
Lain, Ellen J.: Buddhist incense burners and related altar furnishings in China
Li, Li: A view of incense burners in Tang Dynasty murals of Mogao Grottoes: based on archaeological discoveries
Ku, Cheng Mei: A Charmarajika stupa, a Cakri stupa and a Northern Liang stupa
Jia, Ying Yi: A comparative study of mural paintings of Sakyamuni in Nirvana found in Kucha grottoes and Mogao grottoes
Liang, Weiying: A general survey of the life of Buddha described in Dunhuang and its characteristics
Shi, Yichun: A study and explanation of Jataka painting in the Thousand Buddha grottoes of Kizil and Mogao grottoes of Dunhuang
Higashiyama, Kenko: The expression of Jataka story in Dunhuang
Karetzky, Patricia E.: The Wei Dynasties caves-architectural formal
Li, Mingwei: Trade on the Silk Road shown in the mural painting of Mogao grottoes and Kizil Thousand Buddha grottoes
Li, Chongshen: A preliminary study of ancient sports activities found in Mogao grottoes, Dunhuang
He, Shuangquan: An introduction to the history of Dunhuang in the Han Dynasty
Abe, Stanley K.: Art and practice in Mogao Cave 254
 

Colloque International "Les Gestes Retrouvés: traces et fonction", Belgium, 8-10 Dec '90.
Organised by Marcel Otte, Service de Préhistoire, University of Liège, Place du XX Août, 7, Bat, A1, B-4000 Liège, Belgium. Papers on East Asian materials advertised were:

Sawada, Atsushi: The method of description for polished surfaces
Yamada, Shoh: The formation process of use-wear polishes
 

British Association for Korean Studies Conference (BAKS), Cambridge 26-28 April '91.
EAAN sponsored a panel of papers on Korean archaeology at the BAKS conference. Abstracts and copies of papers are available from Mr. Simon Kaner, Dept of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 3DZ UK, who chaired the panel.

Nelson, Sarah: Mumuntogi and megalithic monuments: a reconsideration of the dating
Choo, Youn-sik: Net sinkers, fishing behaviour and social organization
Kim, Paul: Interpreting Koguryo
An, Deog-im: The excavation of Konam-ri shell middens on Anmyun Island, Korea
Kang, Bong-won: The social structure of a megalithic tomb society in Korea (read in absentia)
 

The Wetland Revoution in Prehistory, Univ. of Exeter, UK, 5-7 April '91.
Organised by The Prehistoric Society and WARP. Contact Ms. Bryony Coles, Dept History & Archaeology, The University, Exeter EX4 4QH, UK. A paper on East Asia was:

Matsui, Akira.: Recent excavations at the Awazu wetland site in Japan
 

Chinese and Their Neighbors to the North Workshop, 5-7 April '91, Pittsburgh.
A workshop on The Chinese and Their Neighbors to the North (ca. 1000 BC-2nd Century AD) was held by the Department of Fine Arts and the Asian Studies Program of the University of Pittsburgh. Ancient bronze artifacts of nomadic groups from the area and the nature of their interaction with the Chinese were discussed. Contact: Dr. Katheryn M. Linduff, Dept. Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA 95260 USA. [see programme synopsis under Reviews & Reports above.]

Barfield, Thomas: The ecology and political pastoral nomadism
Tong, Enzheng: Ethnography of ancient peoples along China's northern borders
Pulleyblank, E.G.: Linguistic affinities of the peoples to the north, northwest, and northeast of the Chinese, 100 BC to 200 AD
Haskins, John: Jung, Yeh-chih and Wu Sun
Jettmar, Karl: Recent animal style research-Near Eastern roots and central Asiatic origin
Wu, En: New archaeological discoveries of the northern nationality groups of ancient China
Guo, Suxin: Ordos artifacts discovered in Inner Mongolia
Jin, Fengyi: Distribution of the Shanrong culture and its features
Lubo-Lesnichenko, Yevgenii: International relations in Central Asia according to the materials of Pazyryk and Noin-ula
Jacobson, Esther: Symbolic systems in the art of the Eurasian Scytho-Siberians
Bunker, Emma C.: Significant changes in iconography and technology
Han, Rugin & Wang, Dongning: The technique of making metallic objects unearthed from the Xianbei tombs in Jilin
 

43rd Annual Meeting, Association for Asian Studies, 11-14 April '91, New Orleans.
Panel, "Buried Documents and Documents on Burials: mortuary practice and precept in early China", chaired by Albert E. Dien, Stanford Univ. Papers:
Knapp, Keith: Clay roosters cannot lord over mornings: the social and religious meanings of austere burials in Medieval death testaments
Dien, Albert E.: Instructions for the grave: the case of Yen Chih-t'ui
Nickerson, Peter S.: Excavated Taoist mortuary documents: new perspectivies on religious change in early Medieval China

Panel, "New Views on Ancient Chinese History, Literature, and Art", Chaired by Ellen Widmer, Wesleyan Univ. Papers:
Sage, Steven F.: The periodization and significance of ancient Sichuan
Arbuckle, Gary: The jiao sacrifice in the Chunqiu fanlu and the thought of Dong Zhongshu
Pan, Yihong: The seven Sino-Tibetan treaties in the Tang Dynasty
Lachman, Charles: Niao-k'o Ch'an-shih and the (ab)uses of iconography
 

36th International Conference of Orientalists in Japan, Tokyo & Kyoto, 19-20, 25 May 1991.
Sponsored by The Toho Gakkai.

Keally, Charles T.: A model for the origins of the Japanese Paleolithic
Hudson, Mark J.: The formation of Yayoi culture and the continent: some recent archaeological approaches
Kidder, J. Edward, Jr.: Wei or Wa? The Himiko mirrors
 

8th Nihon Bunkazai Kagakukai [Japanese Cultural Properties Science Conference], Nara, 25-26 May '91.
Details about the research presented at this conference can be had from the Organiser: Mr. Masayoshi MIZUNO, Department of Archaeology, Nara University, Nara 630 Japan. All the papers were delivered in Japanese and were accompanied by 29 poster sessions.

Dating:
AMS14C dating of mammalian fossils
Results of a palaeomagnetic survey of a side-entrance kiln at Gomdan-ri, Korea
Sedimentary dating of lowland site deposits by palaeomagnetism
Research on palaeomagnetic intensity possessed by artefacts
Palaeoenvironment:
Earthquake evidence discovered at Echigo Provincial Headquarters
Practical applications of diatom analysis in archaeology
Investigation of paddy field remains at the Liunan site, southern China
Materials, Techniques, Sourcing:
X-ray flourescence analysis of pottery excavated from Uenoharu tunnel tombs
Research in ancient metallurgical techniques I: early historical gilt leaf
Mapping analysis of minute parts of historical documents by microfocus x-ray
Mapping analysis of ancient gilt bronze
Element composition of archaeological bronze materials by neutron activation analysis
Developing recognition methods for heating in artefacts
Raw materials research on Italian net embroidery bearing the date of 1567 and conservation research on its compositional change through the years
Cultural Properties Science:
On the appropriateness of various geophysical survey methods at kiln sites
On the stratigraphy and dating of pottery excavated from the Shimoshigeuchi site, Nagano Prefecture
On the period of high frequency occurrence of rape pollen in southern Osaka Prefecture
Conservation Science:
Conservation procedures for wood materials by positive ion boundary activation chemicals
Conservation procedures for stone; field first aid and preservation materials
Examination of excavated objects made of textiles by applying the technique of preparing material for petrological mocroscopy
Conservation of the Amenohetepe III Royal burials, Egypt
 

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