山西考古的世纪回顾与展望

Shanxi Archaeology in Retrospect and Prospect at the Turn of the Century

山西省的考古工作开始于1925年夏县西阴村的考古调查。到20世纪末,经过近80年的考古工作和学科建设,取得了丰硕的成就。史前文化序列已经初步建立,夏商周考古取得重要收获,对晋文化也有了一定的研究,秦汉以后的历代考古发现也是层出不穷,构成了以考古学资料为基本内容的山西从未间断的历史。

Apart from charming myths and legends, Shanxi Province in the middle Yellow River valley possesses rich cultural remains on and under the ground. Archaeological work there began in 1925, with surveys at Xiyin Village of Xiaxian County. By the end of the 20th century, especially since the founding of New China, abundant achievements have been obtained in archaeological research and the construction of the discipline. They include, first of all, the preliminary establishment of the sequence of prehistoric cultures, important accomplishments in the archaeology of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou periods, and the certain understanding of the origin, formation, features, distribution, evolution and contributions of the Jin culture. Archaeological discoveries of the Qin-Han period and after have also emerged one after another, providing highly valuable material data for studying the amalgamation of northern nationalities, the cultural exchange of ancient China with foreign countries, and the evolution of social life, ancient science and technology, and culture and art. The above-stated combine to reveal the birth, development, exchange and creation of human beings in Shanxi, which form a continuous history clear in origin and evolution and with archaeological data as basic sources.