Frontier archaeology traces the threads of ancient civilizations

From windswept steppes to desert oases, frontier archaeology is about more than digging up the past. It traces the pulse of civilizations as they collided, converged, and reshaped one another across the ancient world. That spirit was recently on full display in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, where the eighth edition of an academic symposium on China's frontier archaeology brought together more than 80 experts and scholars from universities and research institutions nationwide.

The symposium was jointly organized by the Society for Chinese Archaeology, the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the National Centre for Archaeology, and the Inner Mongolia Academy of Social Sciences.

This year's event focused on "the northern frontier from the perspective of archaeology". According to Shi Jinsong, director of the Institute of Archaeology at CASS, China's northern frontier is a key area for understanding ancient China's frontier governance. With relatively limited historical records, the region holds many mysteries that archaeological evidence can help clarify and verify.

"Through this symposium as an academic platform, we want to review the latest archaeological discoveries in northern frontier regions and shed light on how ancient dynasties governed these areas throughout history," Shi says.

"We want to understand the historical connections between the northern grasslands and the Central Plains, continue to offer clues to the communication, exchange and integration among different ethnic groups, and gain a deeper understanding of the historical process through which China formed and developed a unified country with multiple ethnic groups."

The symposium featured keynote speeches and parallel subforums, with 45 academic presentations covering ancient China's frontier governance, East-West cultural exchanges and the application of new technologies in frontier archaeology.

Among the notable presentations, Hu Chunbai, an archaeologist with the Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, introduced a project that has surveyed Hongshan culture sites in Inner Mongolia since 2021.

Hongshan culture, a major Neolithic culture, dates back roughly 4,800 to 6,500 years. Researchers have investigated five major areas and identified more than 1,400 sites dating to before the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). By comparing the distribution density of Hongshan sites, they believe the Jiaolai River basin in Aohan Banner, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, where the Yuanbaoshan site is located, was a central area of Hongshan culture and an important site for understanding the development of the civilization.

Excavations in 2024 confirmed Yuanbaoshan as a Hongshan ceremonial complex containing tombs and sacrificial remains, dating from about 5,100 to 5,000 years ago. Archaeologists also discovered more than 100 jade artifacts, as well as human remains, pits, and ceramic, stone, bone and clamshell artifacts.

In another significant finding, archaeological work at the Gangga cemetery in Hulunbuir suggests that the site was probably associated with the Shiwei people, who thrived on the Hulunbuir grasslands during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960) period. The discovery provides new evidence for research into the origins of the Mongolian people.

The finding echoes a broader view expressed by Wang Jianxin, an archaeology professor at Northwest University in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. Wang says China's northern borderlands were not peripheral to Chinese civilization but integral to its unified yet pluralistic development.

"Archaeological evidence suggests that the communication between China and the West dates back at least 5,000 years," he says. "The border areas lie on key corridors for international transportation and exchange. Therefore, frontier archaeology plays an important role in understanding the external interactions and the exchanges between Chinese and other civilizations."

Acknowledging the harsh environment and complexity of the work, Wang says answering fundamental questions about the formation of China as a unified country with multiple ethnic groups will require not only breakthroughs but sustained commitment across generations. "Our task is to provide solid archaeological evidence for history. Although the path is long, it is our shared responsibility."