Archaeology in a fragile environment: archaeology of the lower Yangtze Shanghai region

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Shanghai region is home to millennia of archaeological cultures and a massive modern metropolois. Until recently, this regional history has remained within the overarching framework of a north-China centric archaeology. Throughout the emergence of archaeological cultures in Shanghai and its periphery, however, we can observe striking adaptations to the vulnerability of its landscape, as well as ingenious technical and engineering solutions. This paper uses archaeological data to explore how this fragile environment was treated in the past and how people adapted to it, offering insights into the long-term human-environment interactions with the Lower Yangtze area.