Why Do Zooarchaeologists Study Domestic Taxa? An Exploration of Historical Trends in Chinese Zooarchaeology

Current research and publication trajectories in Chinese zooarchaeology suggest that there is a prevailing focus on topics and questions related to animal domestication. While the earliest published studies of archaeofaunal materials excavated from archaeological sites in China were done by palaeontologists and thus reflect a focus on wild taxa, taxonomic interests changed over the course of the 20th century when zooarchaeology (動物考古) emerged as a formal discipline and the first generation of Chinese zooarchaeologists were trained. After the 1990s, the majority of Chinese zooarchaeological research was oriented towards animals that are historically known to be important domesticates in China. This primacy of domestic taxa over wild taxa is not only reflected in publication trends and state-funded research projects, but also in the development and application of scientific methods. We argue that even though zooarchaeology outside of China has a similar focus on domesticated animals, the emphasis on the study of domestic taxa in Chinese zooarchaeology is unique due to intersections between 1) the conception and development of the discipline of Chinese zooarchaeology over the 20th century; 2) institutional divisions within Chinese archaeology; 3) training, publication practices, and the resources available to Chinese zooarchaeologists; and 4) the reconstruction of national narratives that link the origins of agriculture to the origins of Chinese civilisation.

China · Domestication · Ethology · Subsistence agriculture · Taxon · Zooarchaeology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Paleopathology and ancient diseases

• A History of Chinese Archaeology

  Open Access•Li Liu, Liu Li•Handbook of East and Southeast…•2017

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