Dr. Anne Underhill

Biography

Anne P. Underhill specializes in archaeology in East Asia, primarily China. She collaborated with archaeologists from Shandong University on regional survey excavations starting in 1995, focusing on understanding changes in regional settlement and economic organization during the late prehistoric and early Bronze Age periods in the Rizhao area of southeastern Shandong. Underhill's work includes publishing several articles in English and Chinese about the late prehistoric site of Liangchengzhen. Her archaeological research interests encompass the investigation of craft production, particularly ceramics, along with exchange systems, diet, and mortuary rituals. She has conducted ethnoarchaeological fieldwork in various areas of western China, where traditional pottery production techniques are still in use. Her related interests include ethnoarchaeology, ethnic minority cultures in China, museum anthropology, and protecting archaeological sites from the illegal antiquities market. Anne received the National Friendship Award from the government of China in 2008. Prior to her current position at Yale University, she was a curator of East Asian anthropology at the Field Museum in Chicago and taught at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Franklin Marshall College, and McGill University.

Research Interests