The Chinese Bronze Age Economics Project is a multi-sited series of interrelated research collaborations led by ISAW professor Roderick Campbell involving several Chinese archaeological institutions and universities with the overarching goal of reconstructing the economy of Shang dynasty China (ca. 1600-1050 BCE). This research, begun in 2009, includes assemblage analyses at the Anyang period (1250-1050 BCE) capital, the contemporaneous secondary center of Daxinzhuang and the village site of Guandimiao. Specific research includes ongoing investigation of a large-scale bone crafting assemblage (~34 metric tons) excavated from Tiesanlu, Anyang, where millions of hairpins were mass-produced for broad-based consumption. Work at Daxinzhuang included an analysis of the bone artifact and bone working assemblages recovered from that site as well as bone tool replication experiments. Work at Guandimiao included zooarchaeological analysis, bone working analysis and ceramic production analysis. The comparison of production, exchange and consumption at these three sites has cast new light on the economy of the Anyang period Shang kingdom and generated numerous publications.
Current work has shifted focus to the Erligang period (ca. 1600-1400 BCE) and the site of Zhengzhou Shangcheng – the capital of the Early Shang kingdom. Fieldwork in the summer of 2024 included bone working analysis at two loci of the ancient city as well as replication experiments in collaboration with the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology. It is anticipated that more bone working as well as other craft industries will be studied in the future. The ultimate goal will be to generate updated models of the Shang economy as well as understand its changes over time. Research has been supported by Wenner-Gren, Luce-ACLS, NYU University Research Challenge and Ranieri grants as well as ISAW faculty research funds.
Technical skills utilized: zooarchaeology; bone working; ceramic analysis; production analysis
Contact: Roderick Campbell, Director (rbc2@nyu.edu)
This project accepts students. Interested students should reach out via email to find out more about participating.