Introducing the Chinese Archaeological Database (Cadb)

Zhiwu Chen, University of Hong Kong

We introduce the China Archaeological Database (CADB) that includes detailed information for more than 69,369 archaeological sites related to human and agricultural activities, spanning between 8000 BCE and 220 CE, with 16,286 sites from the Neolithic period (8000 BCE-2000 BCE), 12,263 sites from the Bronze Age (2000 BCE-771 BCE), 10,747 sites from the Iron Age (770 BCE-221 BCE), and 30,112 sites from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). These include burial sites, and for these, inventories of grave goods found buried with the decedent are available. The database was constructed from excavation publications prior to 2021 and the available issues of the Atlas of Chinese Cultural Relics (Zhongguo Wenwu Dituji). In addition to describing the database, we provide an example of its application to the study of long-term relationships between the spatial distribution of Neolithic development and China's subsequent historical patterns of regional growth.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 71. Databases for the Quantitative History of China