Episode 14: Sanxingdui and Archaeology in Sichuan

For our fourteenth episode, we head to the Sanxingdui archaeological site in Sichuan province with Harvard’s anthropology department professor of archaeology, Rowan Flad.

Dr. Flad shares insights on the importance of the Sanxingdui findings, an overview on archaeological sites across China within the context of Chinese history, and of course recommendations for archaeological sites in China open to visitors.

A little about Sanxingdui…

The archaeological site of Sanxingdui, often cited as one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20^th century, is located approximately one-hour (by car) from the Chengdu.

The findings at Sanxingdui radically changed the previous monolithic theory of China’s cultural development throughout history and opened the door for the concept of multiple cultures and societies existing independently at that time (12^th to 11th century BC), eventually merging and morphing into what we now know as China.

Listen to Episode 14:

Episode Overview:

02:10 – How Rowan got into Chinese archaeology
06:04 – Sanxingdui mask and overall excavation
13:15 – What was the Sanxingdui site originally
19:36 – Terracotta Warriors vs Sanxingdui (history of archaeological finds in China)
28:38 – Varying interests in European and Egyptian archaeological finds vs Chinese ones
33:55 – The “public archaeology” craze in China
37:45 – How to visit archaeological sites in China