Open AccessThe Collaborative Dimension of Johan Gunnar Andersson’s Search for a Western Origin of China
Author(s) -
Perry Johansson
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
bulletin of the history of archaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2047-6930
pISSN - 1062-4740
DOI - 10.5334/bha-545
Subject(s) - geographer , geologist , china , secrecy , history , archaeology , forester , art history , ancient history , geography , cartography , political science , law , forestry
The Swedish geologist Johan Gunnar Andersson, well known for discovering the first Stone Age culture in China, was for a long time criticized for trying to establish a ‘Western origin’ for his Yangshao finds. Not much has been written on how he went about to prove this theory and no composite account exists on what role other, mainly Swedish, scholars played in his project. This article aims to address this lacuna, outlining how geographer Sven Hedin, collector Orvar Karlbeck, as well as archaeologists Olov Janse and Ture J. Arne came to be engaged in the search for a Neolithic ‘Eurasian Highway’. Relying on Swedish archives the article will also shed light on the lead up to the Yangshao discovery and the aura of secrecy Andersson shrouded his later activities in China in