Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale

Archaeobotany in China

History of the Discipline and Future Prospects

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Abstract

This study traces the development of archaeobotany in the context of Chinese Archaeology, with a particular focus on the analysis of macro-botanical remains from the early twentieth century to today. Although plant remains have been reported since the beginning of modern archaeological research in the country, the discipline became widespread and institutionalised only after the 2009 promulgation of the updated Field Archaeology Work Protocol, which mandated the collection of archaeobotanical remains in all archaeological excavations. This article outlines the main phases of development of the discipline – from initial chance discoveries to its institutionalization and subsequent internationalisation – and explores the reasons for its continued growth.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: March 12, 2025 | Accepted: April 22, 2025 | Published July 31, 2025 | Language: it

Keywords Neolithic • Millet • Plant domestication • Archaeobotany • Agriculture • China • Rice • Archaeology

Copyright © 2025 Rita Dal Martello, Rita Dal Martello. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOr/2385-3042/2025/01/010