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Another Year
We have now completed the field survey for another year. After near perfect survey weather for the entire month of November with no snow, rain, nor fog, the skies opened on the evening of December 1st and for much of the day on December 2nd, just a day after the field survey concluded. Out of the field, our attentions turned to artifact analysis and photography as well as lots of map work. Of course, before we could analyze and date the sherds, they had to be washed and allowed to dry, jobs for which we were the beneficiaries of significant student assistance. The transition from the field to the analysis always gives us a chance both to reprise the results and implications of what we found this season as well as to look and think ahead - sort of like recharging one's mental batteries.
Linda and I are pretty confident that we could complete the systematic survey of this coastal basin area in two more seasons. This estimate is good news given that we are not getting any younger and that this region is developing very quickly, imperiling the archaeological record. We really hope to complete this basin land so we can survey the site of Langyatai, near the coast in the north of this area. According to textual accounts, after he unified China in 221 BC, China's first emperor, Qin Shihuang, visited Langyatai where he erected a stone tablet.
The site and surrounding area clearly was a key place at the latter end of the historical sequence that we are studying, and given its historical importance, we are eager to learn how this legendary place fits in to the regional perspective that we are discovering.
In all honesty, once my feet acclimated during the first week or so of field walking, we all held up reasonably well physically. We were aided by the increasing numbers of sites we found, which logically entailed that we walked less as we looked concertedly for and collected artifacts on sites.
We were the recipients of great support this year, as always, from the
government authorities of Rizhao, in particular the Cultural Bureau and
the Rizhao Museum. Their contributions to and interest in our research
efforts were especially important politically, intellectually, and
economically. The weakening dollar, along with inflation in China, has
had an effect on the costs of our fieldwork, and we are all grateful for
the significant help that we have received. Therefore, it is
bittersweet to realize that next time we survey here, we likely will
make our base of operations in Jiaonan City, which is a dependency of
Qingdao. With Jiaonan City located to the north of Rizhao, the savings
in travel time and diminishment of traffic that we would accrue with
such a move likely will be too great to ignore when we next return.
However, given the relationships that we have made and the rich ancient
history of Rizhao, I look forward to returning to this growing
metropolis as well.
With an eye toward the future, we plan to meet with officials from
Jiaonan and Qingdao tomorrow, before we start the long trek back from Qingdao's airport the following day. But, before that, we will close a
chapter with our Rizhao friends tonight. This dispatch also ends our
written journey recounting this 13th archaeological survey season as
well. I thank you for your interest and look forward to seeing some of
you when we return to Chicago.
The word of the day is "jian tou," which means 'arrowhead.' "Jian is
'arrow,' while "tou" means 'point.'
Image captions: 1. Artifacts drying on bathroom floor. 2. Early Longshan
ceramic vessel feet. 3. Stone tools from survey, including a polished
stone arrowhead.
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