| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
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The period that this monograph concerns is the Neolithic period of southeast China. The definition of the Neolithic here should be the same as anywhere else, which relies on the appearance of an agricultural economy. However, so far the evidence for a Neolithic agriculture in southeast China is ambiguous. The direct traces of agricultural crops have been absent in many archaeological sites in this area. The discoveries of domesticated pig and dog at a number of sites indicate an economy with food production. Other Neolithic markers are artifacts that have been interpreted as associated with an agricultural lifestyle. These artifacts include pottery, polished stone tools, bone tools, and shell tools. The peculiarity of a maritime subsistence pattern on the coastal area further complicates the definition of Neolithic, since most coastal communities relied on foraging marine resources rather than cultivating agricultural plants. Therefore, the understanding of Neolithic in this book is both cultural and chronological. Culturally, it refers to an assemblage consisting of domestication of animals, making of pottery and polished stone tools, and possibly but not necessarily cultivating crops. Chronologically, the Neolithic cultural phenomenon is distinctive in comparison with the previous Paleolithic period and the later Bronze Age. Chipped stone tools represent the Paleolithic cultures in southeast China, and the Bronze Age cultures are characterized by the use of metals. As will be further elaborated in the following chapters, the earliest Neolithic culture on the coastal area so far known can be dated to ca. 6500 B.P. and the earliest appearance of bronzes was ca. 3500 B.P. Therefore, the time period that this monograph concerns is from ca. 6500 to 3500 B.P.
A Historic Perspective of Archaeological Research in Southeast China
At this juncture, it is necessary to retrospect the history of archaeology in southeast China and highlight the achievements of previous archaeological investigations. As always, any progress we might be able to make is built upon what has been done in the past, and we may introduce new questions when attempting to solve old problems.