2021 Sinica Open House Activity

More than 90 years have already passed since the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, began excavating the Yinxu (Ruins of Yin) archaeological site in Anyang in 1928. Following the gradual accumulation of archaeological materials, we presently have a more profound understanding of the ancient capital city of the late Shang dynasty. But in addition to the immense central city itself, archaeologists are still today discovering an increasing number of remains from the same time period, all of which mutually interact in various ways, in surrounding areas, and the complex network of interactions has further enriched our knowledge of the more than three-thousand-year-old “world of the late Shang.” This online lecture for the 2021 Open House will first introduce academia’s latest understanding of Yinxu; secondly, it summarizes the most representative archaeological remnants discovered in the vicinity of Yinxu; and finally, through an exploration of the “foreign goods” unearthed at Yinxu, this event illustrates the influence these surrounding areas had on the material culture of Yinxu.