Tracing Civilization: 70 Years of Archaeological Discoveries in Henan (1949-2019)

Over the past 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, significant archaeological discoveries and research achievements have been made in Henan Province, with major findings at sites such as Yinxu in Anyang City, Shang Site in Zhengzhou City, Erlitou Site in Yanshi District of Luoyang City, Jiahu Site in Wuyang County of Luohe City, Lingjing Paleolithic Site in Xuchang City, and Sunjiadong Paleolithic Site in Luanchuan County of Luoyang City. As the core region for the formation and development of Chinese civilization, Henan Province has been the focus of several national-level significant academic research projects in archaeology, such as the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project and the Project for Tracing the Origins of Chinese Civilization.

Through over a thousand of artifacts from 110 sites, including 196 sets of First Grade and Second Grade precious cultural relics, this book showcases the fruitful achievements and glorious history of archaeological and cultural relic preservation in Henan Province over the past 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. These relics and artifacts are of great significance in constructing a complete sequence of Central Plains of China on archaeological culture, and studying the formation of China’s diverse but integrated culture.