This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Dr. Ruiliang Liu
University of Oxford

Basic Info


Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Climate Change
0 archaeological science
0 archaeolometallurgy
0 radiocarbon dating
0 Chinese archaeology

Fingerprints

Climate Change
radiocarbon dating

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
Profile ImagePeter Bray University of Oxford
Following: 2 users
View all

Feed

Original research article
Published: 04 June 2021 in Frontiers in Earth Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Bronze Age Shang China is characterized by its large-scale production system and distinctive ritual world. Both are vividly materialized by a large number of bronze ritual vessels with added lead. Whilst a remarkable amount of research effort has been channeled into the trace elemental and lead isotopic analysis of these ritual vessels, and successfully revealed some important fingerprints such as highly radiogenic lead (HRL), there is as yet no consensus on the metal source(s) which supplied the entire bronze production during the Shang period. In addition to the traditional method to look for matching and mismatching between ores and objects, we propose that environmental archaeological studies can provide crucial clues to address some long-standing questions in archaeometallurgy. In the first part of the paper, we attempt to illustrate the potential and complexity of combining these two subjects together. The second part of the paper offers a case study by reviewing the debate on Yunnan as the source of HRL. Synthesis of various lines of evidence published by most recent studies on environmental archaeology, archaeometallurgy, field reports and radiocarbon dating suggests that this hypothesis appears much less likely than previously suspected.

ACS Style

Ruiliang Liu; A. Mark Pollard; Feiya Lv; Limin Huan; Shanjia Zhang; Minmin Ma. Two Sides of the Same Coin: A Combination of Archaeometallurgy and Environmental Archaeology to Re-Examine the Hypothesis of Yunnan as the Source of Highly Radiogenic Lead in Early Dynastic China. Frontiers in Earth Science 2021, 9, 1 .

AMA Style

Ruiliang Liu, A. Mark Pollard, Feiya Lv, Limin Huan, Shanjia Zhang, Minmin Ma. Two Sides of the Same Coin: A Combination of Archaeometallurgy and Environmental Archaeology to Re-Examine the Hypothesis of Yunnan as the Source of Highly Radiogenic Lead in Early Dynastic China. Frontiers in Earth Science. 2021; 9 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ruiliang Liu; A. Mark Pollard; Feiya Lv; Limin Huan; Shanjia Zhang; Minmin Ma. 2021. "Two Sides of the Same Coin: A Combination of Archaeometallurgy and Environmental Archaeology to Re-Examine the Hypothesis of Yunnan as the Source of Highly Radiogenic Lead in Early Dynastic China." Frontiers in Earth Science 9, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 22 May 2021 in Heritage Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0

This paper surveys of the chemical composition of the copper alloy coinage in China from the Qin Dynasty to the end of the Yuan Dynasty (221 BCE–1368 CE). It shows a dramatic change in the alloying practice used to cast these coins from the Qin unification (after 221 BCE), compared to that practiced in the pre-Qin. There are a number of shifts in the quality of the coinage from dynasty to dynasty, such as the obvious debasement of the Southern Song coinage (1127–1279 CE) when compared to that of the previous Northern Song dynasty (960–1127 CE). Particular attention is paid to the low levels of zinc in the coinage over the period. Although not as obvious as the switch to brass coinage in the Ming, certain periods do show occasional values of zinc up to 2–4%, which we suggest could reflect the sporadic input of recycled brass (Cu–Zn alloy) into the raw material melt. There were several major suppressions of Buddhism during this period, when Buddhist brass statuary was recycled into the coinage, providing a plausible mechanism for the injection of small quantities of zinc into the coinage alloy. A diachronic study of the amounts of iron in the metal, taken to indicate changes to the manufacturing process of copper, also show changes over time. The median levels of iron jump from the Qin (221–206 BCE) to the Western Han (206 BCE–9 CE), possibly reflecting the adoption of slagging processes in the production of the copper, followed by a gradual decline to the Northern Song (960–1127 CE), and a rapid increase during the Southern Song (1127–1279 CE). Finally, a study of changes in the content of silver over time reveals differences in the sources of lead, or changes in lead and silver extraction technologies, over the period.

ACS Style

A. M. Pollard; Ruiliang Liu. Chemical studies of Chinese coinage II: from Qin to Yuan (221 BCE–1368 CE). Heritage Science 2021, 9, 1 -15.

AMA Style

A. M. Pollard, Ruiliang Liu. Chemical studies of Chinese coinage II: from Qin to Yuan (221 BCE–1368 CE). Heritage Science. 2021; 9 (1):1-15.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. M. Pollard; Ruiliang Liu. 2021. "Chemical studies of Chinese coinage II: from Qin to Yuan (221 BCE–1368 CE)." Heritage Science 9, no. 1: 1-15.

Erratum
Published: 21 April 2021 in Science China Earth Sciences
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The article Radiocarbon calibration: The next generation, written by Richard A STAFF and Ruiliang LIU, was originally published in Vol. 64 Issue 3 without open access. With the author(s)’ decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed in April 2021 to © The Author(s) 2021 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The original article has been corrected.

ACS Style

Richard A. Staff; Ruiliang Liu. Erratum to: Radiocarbon calibration: The next generation. Science China Earth Sciences 2021, 64, 838 -838.

AMA Style

Richard A. Staff, Ruiliang Liu. Erratum to: Radiocarbon calibration: The next generation. Science China Earth Sciences. 2021; 64 (5):838-838.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Richard A. Staff; Ruiliang Liu. 2021. "Erratum to: Radiocarbon calibration: The next generation." Science China Earth Sciences 64, no. 5: 838-838.

Hightlight
Published: 01 February 2021 in Science China Earth Sciences
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Richard A. Staff; Ruiliang Liu. Radiocarbon calibration: The next generation. Science China Earth Sciences 2021, 64, 507 -510.

AMA Style

Richard A. Staff, Ruiliang Liu. Radiocarbon calibration: The next generation. Science China Earth Sciences. 2021; 64 (3):507-510.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Richard A. Staff; Ruiliang Liu. 2021. "Radiocarbon calibration: The next generation." Science China Earth Sciences 64, no. 3: 507-510.

Brief report
Published: 28 January 2021 in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

R. Liu; Y-K. Hsu; A. M. Pollard; G. Chen. A new perspective towards the debate on highly radiogenic lead in Chinese archaeometallurgy. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 2021, 13, 1 -7.

AMA Style

R. Liu, Y-K. Hsu, A. M. Pollard, G. Chen. A new perspective towards the debate on highly radiogenic lead in Chinese archaeometallurgy. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 2021; 13 (2):1-7.

Chicago/Turabian Style

R. Liu; Y-K. Hsu; A. M. Pollard; G. Chen. 2021. "A new perspective towards the debate on highly radiogenic lead in Chinese archaeometallurgy." Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 13, no. 2: 1-7.

Journal article
Published: 06 January 2021 in Journal of Archaeological Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0

We have reviewed the published chemical analyses of the bronze coinage produced in pre-Qin China (before 221 BCE), with the aim of understanding the alloying practices which took place before these coins were cast. Conventionally it has been assumed that they were made to a ‘target composition’, by separately adding lead and tin to copper. However, by characterizing the composition of the different coin classes by trend lines rather than by calculating the average composition, we show that the majority of coins approximately fit a mixing line between two starting components – one containing copper, lead and tin (similar to the composition of bronze used to cast contemporary ritual vessels), and one containing only copper and lead. There is some archaeological evidence to support the existence of the latter as a raw material, in the form of fragments of Cu/Pb alloy broken from larger cakes, previously interpreted as primitive coinage. This proposal might have implications for how we consider the perceptions and practice of alloying processes for bronze objects in pre-Qin China.

ACS Style

A.M. Pollard; Ruiliang Liu. Bronze Alloying Practice in ancient China - Evidence from Pre-Qin Coin Analyses. Journal of Archaeological Science 2021, 126, 105322 .

AMA Style

A.M. Pollard, Ruiliang Liu. Bronze Alloying Practice in ancient China - Evidence from Pre-Qin Coin Analyses. Journal of Archaeological Science. 2021; 126 ():105322.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A.M. Pollard; Ruiliang Liu. 2021. "Bronze Alloying Practice in ancient China - Evidence from Pre-Qin Coin Analyses." Journal of Archaeological Science 126, no. : 105322.

Journal article
Published: 09 December 2020 in Antiquity
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Ruiliang Liu. Xiuzhen Li. 2020. Bronze weapons of the Qin terracotta warriors: standardisation, craft specialisation and labour organisation (British Archaeological Reports International Series 2992). Oxford: British Archaeological Reports; 978-1-4073-1690-1 paperback £57. Antiquity 2020, 95, 261 -262.

AMA Style

Ruiliang Liu. Xiuzhen Li. 2020. Bronze weapons of the Qin terracotta warriors: standardisation, craft specialisation and labour organisation (British Archaeological Reports International Series 2992). Oxford: British Archaeological Reports; 978-1-4073-1690-1 paperback £57. Antiquity. 2020; 95 (379):261-262.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ruiliang Liu. 2020. "Xiuzhen Li. 2020. Bronze weapons of the Qin terracotta warriors: standardisation, craft specialisation and labour organisation (British Archaeological Reports International Series 2992). Oxford: British Archaeological Reports; 978-1-4073-1690-1 paperback £57." Antiquity 95, no. 379: 261-262.

Journal article
Published: 03 November 2020 in Archaeometry
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

L. Sun; G. Yang; R. Liu; A. M. Pollard; T. Zhu; C. Liu. Global circulation of silver between Ming–Qing China and the Americas: Combining historical texts and scientific analyses. Archaeometry 2020, 63, 627 -640.

AMA Style

L. Sun, G. Yang, R. Liu, A. M. Pollard, T. Zhu, C. Liu. Global circulation of silver between Ming–Qing China and the Americas: Combining historical texts and scientific analyses. Archaeometry. 2020; 63 (3):627-640.

Chicago/Turabian Style

L. Sun; G. Yang; R. Liu; A. M. Pollard; T. Zhu; C. Liu. 2020. "Global circulation of silver between Ming–Qing China and the Americas: Combining historical texts and scientific analyses." Archaeometry 63, no. 3: 627-640.

Editorial
Published: 03 November 2020 in The Holocene
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Identifying and explaining changes in the prehistoric material and social world is one of the greatest research interests in archaeology, palaeoclimate and environmental science. In the last two decades or so, a considerable number of studies have made significant contributions to the associated disciplines in eastern Asian archaeology. However, due to the more specialised scientific approaches and the rapid accumulation of new excavation materials, it becomes increasingly difficult for scholars to examine and correlate research outputs from different areas and achieve a holistic picture of the past. Using eastern Asian archaeology as an example, this Special Issue aims to break down the disciplinary boundaries and present the current research debate on how to correlate different climate, environmental and social changes and explain human past. One of the fundamental issues is the lack of adequate chronological resolution to order various archaeological events. To tackle this, a large number of radiocarbon dates, primarily derived from short- lived materials, are provided in the Special Issue. A great variety of changes in local environment, agricultural practice, animal husbandry, technologies, migration, demography and social organisations are revealed in the following papers but there are two profound drivers to all of these changes. One is the broad climate change since the start of the Holocene and the other is the communication between the West and the East.

ACS Style

Ruiliang Liu; Guanghui Dong; Minmin Ma; A. Mark Pollard. Introduction to the Special Issue: Correlating changes for environmental, technological and societal transformation in prehistoric eastern Asia. The Holocene 2020, 31, 165 -168.

AMA Style

Ruiliang Liu, Guanghui Dong, Minmin Ma, A. Mark Pollard. Introduction to the Special Issue: Correlating changes for environmental, technological and societal transformation in prehistoric eastern Asia. The Holocene. 2020; 31 (2):165-168.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ruiliang Liu; Guanghui Dong; Minmin Ma; A. Mark Pollard. 2020. "Introduction to the Special Issue: Correlating changes for environmental, technological and societal transformation in prehistoric eastern Asia." The Holocene 31, no. 2: 165-168.

Journal article
Published: 02 November 2020 in Scientific Reports
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Anyang, the last capital of the Chinese Shang dynasty, became one of the largest metal consumers in Eurasia during the second millennium BCE. However, it remains unclear how Anyang people managed to sustain such a large supply of metal. By considering the chemical analysis of bronze objects within archaeological contexts, this paper shows that the casting and circulation of metal at Anyang was effectively governed by social hierarchy. Objects belonging to the high elites such as Fuhao, particularly the bronze ritual vessels, were made by carefully controlled alloying practice (primary) using very pure copper, whereas the lower elites only had access to bronzes made by secondary alloying practice and copper with more impurities. Such contrasts allow scholars to identify those objects which are less likely to have been made by mixing and recycling, which has very important implications for the chemical and isotopic determination of provenance for future studies.

ACS Style

Ruiliang Liu; A. Mark Pollard; Qin Cao; Cheng Liu; Victoria Sainsbury; Philly Howarth; Peter Bray; Limin Huan; Bohao Yao; Yuting Fu; Jigen Tang. Social hierarchy and the choice of metal recycling at Anyang, the last capital of Bronze Age Shang China. Scientific Reports 2020, 10, 1 -9.

AMA Style

Ruiliang Liu, A. Mark Pollard, Qin Cao, Cheng Liu, Victoria Sainsbury, Philly Howarth, Peter Bray, Limin Huan, Bohao Yao, Yuting Fu, Jigen Tang. Social hierarchy and the choice of metal recycling at Anyang, the last capital of Bronze Age Shang China. Scientific Reports. 2020; 10 (1):1-9.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ruiliang Liu; A. Mark Pollard; Qin Cao; Cheng Liu; Victoria Sainsbury; Philly Howarth; Peter Bray; Limin Huan; Bohao Yao; Yuting Fu; Jigen Tang. 2020. "Social hierarchy and the choice of metal recycling at Anyang, the last capital of Bronze Age Shang China." Scientific Reports 10, no. 1: 1-9.

Journal article
Published: 12 October 2020 in Radiocarbon
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Eurasian steppes experienced frequent cultural transfers, human migration, and diffusion of techniques during the Bronze Age. The Hami Oasis is one of the most dynamic areas and has attracted multiple cultural flows. It is an important area that connects various routes of the Tianshan Corridor with the Hexi Corridor in western China. The Tianshanbeilu cemetery is the largest Bronze Age cemetery in Hami. Thirty-seven new radiocarbon dates allowed us to establish a new and more accurate chronology for Tianshanbeilu. Our results showed that the Tianshanbeilu cemetery was used from approximately 2022–1802 cal BC and remained in use from 1093–707 cal BC. This indicates that Tianshanbeilu is the earliest and longest-used known cemetery in eastern Xinjiang. By incorporating the typology of artifacts and stratigraphic relationships, the development of the Tianshanbeilu cemetery was divided into four phases. The first phase was from 2011–1672 cal BC, the second phase was from 1660–1408 cal BC, the third phase was from 1385–1256 cal BC, and the fourth phase was from 1214–1029 cal BC.

ACS Style

Jianyi Tong; Jian Ma; Wenying Li; Xi’En Chang; Jianjun Yu; Jianxin Wang; Yingxia Ma; Yiliang Tian; Kuerban Reheman; Mulati Simayi; Liu Ruiliang. CHRONOLOGY OF THE TIANSHANBEILU CEMETERY IN XINJIANG, NORTHWESTERN CHINA. Radiocarbon 2020, 63, 343 -356.

AMA Style

Jianyi Tong, Jian Ma, Wenying Li, Xi’En Chang, Jianjun Yu, Jianxin Wang, Yingxia Ma, Yiliang Tian, Kuerban Reheman, Mulati Simayi, Liu Ruiliang. CHRONOLOGY OF THE TIANSHANBEILU CEMETERY IN XINJIANG, NORTHWESTERN CHINA. Radiocarbon. 2020; 63 (1):343-356.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jianyi Tong; Jian Ma; Wenying Li; Xi’En Chang; Jianjun Yu; Jianxin Wang; Yingxia Ma; Yiliang Tian; Kuerban Reheman; Mulati Simayi; Liu Ruiliang. 2020. "CHRONOLOGY OF THE TIANSHANBEILU CEMETERY IN XINJIANG, NORTHWESTERN CHINA." Radiocarbon 63, no. 1: 343-356.

Research article
Published: 14 July 2020 in The Holocene
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Ancient China is one of the most important regions for the development of agriculture in human history, contributing the two key crops millet and rice. Meanwhile, it was closely connected to the wider Eurasian network, receiving wheat and barley from the West. Because of the large isotopic differences between C3 and C4 crops, we are able to track their changing importance in different regions of China and underlying connections to their cultural and environmental contexts. We take a ‘big data’ approach, assembling the stable isotopic measurements on over 2000 ancient human bones. This is the first comprehensive meta-analysis of ancient Chinese human stable carbon and nitrogen isotope results and creates a more efficient tool for scholars to establish a fuller picture of dietary practices in ancient China. By charting their spatial-temporal variation, we can show that the primary crop facilitating the rise of the early Chinese state in the Central Plains was millet, particularly during the Bronze Age. The dominance of millet (C4), from an isotopic viewpoint, offers an opportunity to investigate the major changes in dietary practice through the proxy of δ13C, as a result of shifts between millet and other major C3 crops (rice, wheat and barley). More importantly, millet is probably one of the earliest examples for the existing local system in the Central Plains within which other imported elements (e.g. wheat) have to fit. This pattern, which has also been repetitively discovered with bronze and iron technology in later periods, starts to characterise some intrinsic features of Chinese prehistory.

ACS Style

Ruiliang Liu; Mark Pollard; Rick Schulting; Jessica Rawson; Cheng Liu. Synthesis of stable isotopic data for human bone collagen: A study of the broad dietary patterns across ancient China. The Holocene 2020, 31, 302 -312.

AMA Style

Ruiliang Liu, Mark Pollard, Rick Schulting, Jessica Rawson, Cheng Liu. Synthesis of stable isotopic data for human bone collagen: A study of the broad dietary patterns across ancient China. The Holocene. 2020; 31 (2):302-312.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ruiliang Liu; Mark Pollard; Rick Schulting; Jessica Rawson; Cheng Liu. 2020. "Synthesis of stable isotopic data for human bone collagen: A study of the broad dietary patterns across ancient China." The Holocene 31, no. 2: 302-312.

Journal article
Published: 27 June 2020 in Atmosphere
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The Neolithic period witnessed the start and spread of agriculture across Eurasia, as well as the beginning of important climate changes which would take place over millennia. Nevertheless, it remains rather unclear in what ways local societies chose to respond to these considerable changes in both the shorter and longer term. Crops such as rice and millet were domesticated in the Yangtze River and the Yellow River valleys in China during the early Holocene. Paleoclimate studies suggest that the pattern of precipitation in these two areas was distinctly different. This paper reviews updated archaeobotanical evidence from Neolithic sites in China. Comparing these results to the regional high-resolution paleoclimate records enables us to better understand the development of rice and millet and its relation to climate change. This comparison shows that rice was mainly cultivated in the Yangtze River valley and its southern margin, whereas millet cultivation occurred in the northern area of China during 9000–7000 BP. Both millet and rice-based agriculture became intensified and expanded during 7000–5000 BP. In the following period of 5000–4000 BP, rice agriculture continued to expand within the Yangtze River valley and millet cultivation moved gradually westwards. Meanwhile, mixed agriculture based on both millet and rice developed along the boundary between north and south. From 9000–7000 BP, China maintained hunting activities. Subsequently, from 7000–6000 BP, changes in vegetation and landscape triggered by climate change played an essential role in the development of agriculture. Precipitation became an important factor in forming the distinct regional patterns of Chinese agriculture in 6000–4000 BP.

ACS Style

Ruo Li; Feiya Lv; Liu Yang; Fengwen Liu; Ruiliang Liu; Guanghui Dong. Spatial–Temporal Variation of Cropping Patterns in Relation to Climate Change in Neolithic China. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 677 .

AMA Style

Ruo Li, Feiya Lv, Liu Yang, Fengwen Liu, Ruiliang Liu, Guanghui Dong. Spatial–Temporal Variation of Cropping Patterns in Relation to Climate Change in Neolithic China. Atmosphere. 2020; 11 (7):677.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ruo Li; Feiya Lv; Liu Yang; Fengwen Liu; Ruiliang Liu; Guanghui Dong. 2020. "Spatial–Temporal Variation of Cropping Patterns in Relation to Climate Change in Neolithic China." Atmosphere 11, no. 7: 677.

Original article
Published: 05 June 2020 in Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Tianshanbeilu is the largest Bronze Age site in eastern Xinjiang, China. Stretching across the entire second millennium BC, it performed a prominent role in connecting the Hexi corridor, Central China and the steppe. A further insight into the metallurgical tradition and the metal supply network is of vital importance to improve our understanding of its multi‐connected nature. This paper offers a new set of chemical and isotopic data on the copper‐based objects at Tianshanbeilu, including alloying elements, trace elements (impurities) and lead isotopes. Combining the concentrations of arsenic and antimony reveals that arsenic was introduced to copper partially due to the use of specific minerals tethrahedrite‐tennantite. Lead isotopes demonstrate that multiple sources of copper were employed at Tianshanbeilu and a majority of them are characterized by common lead, which appears rather different from those of the Central Plains and the Hexi corridor, but highly consistent with local ores. Surprisingly, one object at Tianshanbeilu contains the well‐known highly radiogenic lead. This object undoubtedly marks the westernmost boundary of the distribution of the highly radiogenic lead. We also anticipate that more lead isotopic analyses in NW China will further contribute to the study of the highly radiogenic lead in Central China.

ACS Style

Cheng Liu; Ruiliang Liu; Pengcheng Zhou; Chun Lu; Zengxin Yang; A. Mark Pollard; Peter Hommel; Jian Ma; Jianfeng Cui; Peter Bray; Jianyi Tong; Jessica Rawson. Metallurgy at the Crossroads: New Analyses of Copper‐based Objects at Tianshanbeilu, Eastern Xinjiang, China. Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition 2020, 94, 594 -602.

AMA Style

Cheng Liu, Ruiliang Liu, Pengcheng Zhou, Chun Lu, Zengxin Yang, A. Mark Pollard, Peter Hommel, Jian Ma, Jianfeng Cui, Peter Bray, Jianyi Tong, Jessica Rawson. Metallurgy at the Crossroads: New Analyses of Copper‐based Objects at Tianshanbeilu, Eastern Xinjiang, China. Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition. 2020; 94 (3):594-602.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cheng Liu; Ruiliang Liu; Pengcheng Zhou; Chun Lu; Zengxin Yang; A. Mark Pollard; Peter Hommel; Jian Ma; Jianfeng Cui; Peter Bray; Jianyi Tong; Jessica Rawson. 2020. "Metallurgy at the Crossroads: New Analyses of Copper‐based Objects at Tianshanbeilu, Eastern Xinjiang, China." Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition 94, no. 3: 594-602.

Journal article
Published: 05 May 2020 in Radiocarbon
Reads 0
Downloads 0

In order to assess late prehistoric human responses to climate change in the Western Loess Plateau (WLP), we investigated 13,567 charred plant seeds and 19 radiocarbon (14C) dates obtained from 41 late prehistoric sites in the upper Wei River valley. Based on these new dating results as well as their cultural attributes, these sites could be confidently divided into four chronological phases (Phase 1: Late Yangshao and Majiayao culture; Phase 2: Qijia culture; Phases 3 and 4: Siwa culture) but a significant gap was identified at ca. 3600–3000 cal yr BP in this region. Comparison of this interval to high-resolution paleoclimate records from Tianchi Lake suggests it could be attributed to the dramatic drop in temperature at this time. Accordingly, archaeobotanical evidence with a refined chronology shows the adoption of cold-tolerant subsistence cereal grains such as barley on the NETP (Northeast Tibetan Plateau). Drawing from various lines of knowledge (chronology, palaeoclimate, archaeobotany, and archaeology), it is reasonable to conclude that, even when confronting a similar magnitude of climate change, local human societies could vary tremendously. Different subsistence strategies were brought in by the trans-Eurasia culture exchange of prehistoric times.

ACS Style

Tingting Chen; Menghan Qiu; Ruiliang Liu; Haiming Li; Hongwei Hou; Philly Howarth; Samantha Bowring; Aifeng Zhou. HUMAN RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE LATE PREHISTORIC WESTERN LOESS PLATEAU, NORTHWEST CHINA. Radiocarbon 2020, 62, 1193 -1207.

AMA Style

Tingting Chen, Menghan Qiu, Ruiliang Liu, Haiming Li, Hongwei Hou, Philly Howarth, Samantha Bowring, Aifeng Zhou. HUMAN RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE LATE PREHISTORIC WESTERN LOESS PLATEAU, NORTHWEST CHINA. Radiocarbon. 2020; 62 (5):1193-1207.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tingting Chen; Menghan Qiu; Ruiliang Liu; Haiming Li; Hongwei Hou; Philly Howarth; Samantha Bowring; Aifeng Zhou. 2020. "HUMAN RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE LATE PREHISTORIC WESTERN LOESS PLATEAU, NORTHWEST CHINA." Radiocarbon 62, no. 5: 1193-1207.

Original article
Published: 04 April 2020 in Archaeometry
Reads 0
Downloads 0

This article explores the possible provenance of ores employed for metallurgical production during the early Bronze Age in the central Hexi Corridor. In total, 78 pieces of copper ore samples were collected from five early Bronze Age sites and one copper deposit site (the Beishantang Cu deposit) in the Heihe River region of the central Hexi Corridor, northwest China. These sites are dated to the late Machang Culture (4100‐4000 BP), the Xichengyi Culture (4000‐3700 BP), the Qijia Culture (4000‐3600 BP) and the Siba Culture (3700‐3400 BP). After comparing with published lead isotopic data from other possible copper deposits in northwest China, our results show that the copper ores collected from early Bronze Age sites were most likely derived from the adjacent Beishan copper deposit. More intriguingly, for the first time in the Hexi Corridor, a dozen of of copper ores have been discovered containing highly radiogenic lead. Though fundamentally different from those in the Central Plains, they illustrate a possible new type of copper that was used in Bronze Age western China, and the first‐hand materials are significant for further understanding provenance of raw metals for metallurgical production in the prehistoric Hexi Corridor.

ACS Style

G. Chen; Y. Cui; R. Liu; H. Wang; Y. Yang; A. M. Pollard; Y. Li. Lead isotopic analyses of copper ores in the Early Bronze Age central Hexi Corridor, north‐west China. Archaeometry 2020, 62, 1 .

AMA Style

G. Chen, Y. Cui, R. Liu, H. Wang, Y. Yang, A. M. Pollard, Y. Li. Lead isotopic analyses of copper ores in the Early Bronze Age central Hexi Corridor, north‐west China. Archaeometry. 2020; 62 (5):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

G. Chen; Y. Cui; R. Liu; H. Wang; Y. Yang; A. M. Pollard; Y. Li. 2020. "Lead isotopic analyses of copper ores in the Early Bronze Age central Hexi Corridor, north‐west China." Archaeometry 62, no. 5: 1.

Article
Published: 27 November 2019 in Journal of World Prehistory
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The role of Panlongcheng—a walled settlement on the Yangtze River with obvious links to the Erligang capital at Zhengzhou, ~ 500 km to the north—in early Bronze Age China has been the subject of much debate. Panlongcheng is a typical Erligang site (~ 1500–1300 BC), with evidence for people of elite status, unlike any other site apart from Zhengzhou itself. The tombs and bronzes at Panlongcheng, as well as other materials, closely resemble those at Zhengzhou. Why was Panlongcheng established along the Yangtze River, and what were the Erligang elites doing there? Considering the rich copper deposits in this area, it is widely assumed that the major function of Panlongcheng was to ship metal to Zhengzhou, and in return to receive bronze vessels from Zhengzhou. The purpose of this paper is to revisit this discussion through a re-evaluation of the scientific data on the bronzes from each site. A series of differences and similarities in the chemical and isotopic compositions of the metal objects at Panlongcheng and Zhengzhou are identified, suggesting that the relationship was more complex than was previously thought. In this light, despite a close social and presumably political affiliation with Zhengzhou, Panlongcheng appears likely to have had its own metal-casting capability, rather than having to rely completely on finished objects imported from Zhengzhou. This discovery encourages scholars to re-consider the metal supply network and the underlying political landscape in early dynastic China, shifting from a linear model to a complex but probably more realistic one.

ACS Style

Ruiliang Liu; A. Mark Pollard; Jessica Rawson; Xiaojia Tang; Peter Bray; Changping Zhang. Panlongcheng, Zhengzhou and the Movement of Metal in Early Bronze Age China. Journal of World Prehistory 2019, 32, 393 -428.

AMA Style

Ruiliang Liu, A. Mark Pollard, Jessica Rawson, Xiaojia Tang, Peter Bray, Changping Zhang. Panlongcheng, Zhengzhou and the Movement of Metal in Early Bronze Age China. Journal of World Prehistory. 2019; 32 (4):393-428.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ruiliang Liu; A. Mark Pollard; Jessica Rawson; Xiaojia Tang; Peter Bray; Changping Zhang. 2019. "Panlongcheng, Zhengzhou and the Movement of Metal in Early Bronze Age China." Journal of World Prehistory 32, no. 4: 393-428.

Journal article
Published: 12 June 2019 in Antiquity
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Recent archaeological survey and excavation in China have demonstrated that large sites of the late fourth and third millennia BC were situated not on the Central Plains—where the later dynastic centres were located—but along the Yangtze and lower Yellow River Basins. Their decline in the late third and second millennia BC coincided with the growth of sites to the north of the Central Plains. Evidence for settlement size and a new chronology constructed from radiocarbon dates emphasise discontinuities in the geographic distribution of settlements, combined with continuity in cultural practices of ritual feasts and the use of symbolic jades.

ACS Style

Chi Zhang; A. Mark Pollard; Jessica Rawson; Limin Huan; Ruiliang Liu; Xiaojia Tang. China's major Late Neolithic centres and the rise of Erlitou. Antiquity 2019, 93, 588 -603.

AMA Style

Chi Zhang, A. Mark Pollard, Jessica Rawson, Limin Huan, Ruiliang Liu, Xiaojia Tang. China's major Late Neolithic centres and the rise of Erlitou. Antiquity. 2019; 93 (369):588-603.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chi Zhang; A. Mark Pollard; Jessica Rawson; Limin Huan; Ruiliang Liu; Xiaojia Tang. 2019. "China's major Late Neolithic centres and the rise of Erlitou." Antiquity 93, no. 369: 588-603.

Original article
Published: 27 February 2019 in Archaeometry
Reads 0
Downloads 0

It is widely known that the Hexi Corridor in North‐West China lies at a hub of trans‐Eurasian cultural exchange. Its role became increasingly important during the late prehistoric period, particularly as the ancient Silk Road began to be used. While the profound transformation of local cultural characteristics in the late Neolithic and the Bronze Age is well documented, the detailed economic dynamics of cultural evolution have not yet been clearly illustrated. In this paper, we report on significant new zooarchaeological and faunal isotopic data from the Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in the Hexi Corridor. The primary objective is to systematically reconstruct the prehistoric economic context of this area by combining these new data with previous archaeological studies and radiocarbon dates. We argue that the primary economic activities of local inhabitants changed dramatically in the prehistoric Hexi Corridor. This was marked by agricultural production at c.4800–4000 bp, agro‐pastoral production at c.4000–3000 bp and animal husbandry at c.3000–2200 bp, respectively. The major subsistence strategies of these three periods show considerable variation. It is very likely that these transformations of economic patterns in the prehistoric Hexi Corridor were primarily triggered by transcontinental cultural exchange and, to a lesser extent, by climate change.

ACS Style

Y. Yang; L. Ren; G. Dong; Y. Cui; Ruiliang Liu; G. Chen; H. Wang; Shevan Wilkin; Fahu Chen. Economic Change in the Prehistoric Hexi Corridor (4800-2200bp), North-West China. Archaeometry 2019, 61, 957 -976.

AMA Style

Y. Yang, L. Ren, G. Dong, Y. Cui, Ruiliang Liu, G. Chen, H. Wang, Shevan Wilkin, Fahu Chen. Economic Change in the Prehistoric Hexi Corridor (4800-2200bp), North-West China. Archaeometry. 2019; 61 (4):957-976.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Y. Yang; L. Ren; G. Dong; Y. Cui; Ruiliang Liu; G. Chen; H. Wang; Shevan Wilkin; Fahu Chen. 2019. "Economic Change in the Prehistoric Hexi Corridor (4800-2200bp), North-West China." Archaeometry 61, no. 4: 957-976.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2019 in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Minxia Lu; Liang Chen; Jinxiu Wang; Ruiliang Liu; Yang Yang; Meng Wei; Guanghui Dong. A brief history of wheat utilization in China. Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering 2019, 6, 288 .

AMA Style

Minxia Lu, Liang Chen, Jinxiu Wang, Ruiliang Liu, Yang Yang, Meng Wei, Guanghui Dong. A brief history of wheat utilization in China. Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering. 2019; 6 (3):288.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Minxia Lu; Liang Chen; Jinxiu Wang; Ruiliang Liu; Yang Yang; Meng Wei; Guanghui Dong. 2019. "A brief history of wheat utilization in China." Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering 6, no. 3: 288.