On Dec. 16, the Sixth Shanghai Archaeology Forum, co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, and the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA), was held in Shanghai, under the theme of “Technology, Society and Archaeology.” Gao Xiang, president of CASS and director general of the Chinese Academy of History under CASS; Gong Zheng, mayor of Shanghai; and Qiao Yunfei, deputy director of the NCHA, attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks.

In his speech, Gao called on scholars to position themselves at the intersection of history and the present, employ rigorous scientific methods to uncover fine-grained evidence from material remains, understand the principles of historical evolution, and illuminate the deeper logic connecting technological progress and social development. He also stressed the importance of probing the underlying mechanisms of civilizational progress, developing research approaches that integrate multiple forms of evidence, and continuously enhancing holistic understanding of historical and cultural phenomena.

The forum showcased 11 major field archaeology discoveries and 11 key archaeological research achievements from around the world. Collectively, these findings reflect the cutting-edge progress of global archaeology between 2023 and 2025 in expanding the boundaries of civilizational understanding, innovating research methodologies, and responding to contemporary concerns.

Composing new chapter of human civilization

Field archaeology forms the foundation of archaeological research. The 11 major field discoveries showcased at the forum either deepen understanding of civilizational processes in specific regions or revise long-held academic views of ancient cultures worldwide.

Chinese archaeology featured prominently among the discoveries, offering crucial empirical evidence for tracing the origins, formation, and development of Chinese civilization. The project “The Hongshan Society and the Processes of Social and Cultural Complexity,” led by the Institute of Archaeology at CASS, pooled archaeological efforts from Liaoning Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and Hebei Province. By linking individual sites with regional-scale patterns, the project reconstructed a macro-level picture of settlement systems associated with the Hongshan culture (c. 4000–3000 BCE).

Jia Xiaobing, director of the Department of World Archaeology at the CASS Institute of Archaeology, stated that these new discoveries significantly extend both the temporal and spatial framework of the Hongshan culture. They reveal the complexity and multidimensional nature of its social structure, offering vital materials for understanding social organization and governance models during the “Archaic States” period of Chinese civilization.

The forum’s global scope was further reflected in discoveries from Southeast Asia. The project “Unraveling Complexity in the Transition from Foraging to Farming in Mainland Southeast Asia” revises earlier linear models of agricultural transformation through meticulous excavations at multiple sites in Vietnam. The findings underscore the complexity and dynamism of prehistoric subsistence transitions in the region, highlighting the diversity of local adaptations and cultural choices.

In Peru, a research team led by Masato Sakai, a distinguished research professor at Yamagata University in Japan, conducted a groundbreaking re-examination of the world-famous Nasca Pampa geoglyphs using AI. By combining AI-based image analysis with field surveys, the team identified a large number of small-scale relief-type geoglyphs that had previously been difficult to detect.

This technology-driven research has substantially expanded the inventory of material remains associated with the Nasca culture. It also opens new avenues for understanding how ancient societies interacted with their landscapes through ground-based creations of varying scales and how ritual spaces were constructed.

Expanding understanding of civilizations

If field discoveries constitute the “muscles and bones” of archaeology, then in-depth studies grounded in specialized research themes and laboratory analysis form its “soul.” The 11 key archaeological research achievements exemplify cutting-edge explorations in global archaeology in theory, methodology, and technology, demonstrating the capacity for innovative interpretation based on solid material evidence.

Zhang Xu from the Key Laboratory of Archaeological Sciences and Cultural Heritage at CASS presented the study “From Aggregation to Integration: Population Interactions in South-Central Inner Mongolia During the Eastern Zhou Period.” The study involved a systematic analysis of 508 human skeletal individuals excavated from 12 major Eastern-Zhou (770–256 BCE) cemeteries in south-central Inner Mongolia.

Through regional case studies examining graded interaction and dynamic integration among populations with differing craniofacial morphologies, the research confirmed patterns of cultural inclusiveness and economic interdependence among groups in the region. These findings highlight the social cohesion underlying the formation of the Chinese nation.

How archaeology can respond more directly to contemporary challenges was addressed by Kristina G. Douglass, principal investigator at the Olo Be Taloha Lab of the Morombe Archaeological Project in Madagascar. In her presentation, “Archaeology for Adaptive Futures: Co-Producing Knowledge, Heritage, and Climate Resilience in Southwest Madagascar,” she described a “co-produced, community-driven” archaeological model. In response to global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, archaeologists are working closely with local communities to draw on deep historical knowledge and indigenous ecological wisdom in order to enhance community resilience and help design more inclusive futures.

The digital revolution is also reshaping how archaeologists think and collaborate. Martin Hinz, principal investigator and research group leader at the Institute of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology at Kiel University in Germany, presented “From XRONOS to ESTER—Models for Digital Infrastructure in Archaeology.” His work illustrates how archaeology is undergoing a profound transformation driven by digital technologies, with digital infrastructure and data models now embedded at every stage, from field documentation to interpretation and dissemination.

This transformation, Hinz explained, extends archaeology along two dimensions. Internally, it integrates previously isolated areas of research—such as chronology, environmental remains, and material culture—into a collaborative analytical framework capable of revealing hidden patterns. Externally, it strengthens archaeology’s connections with the broader scientific system and the public, producing verifiable and reusable forms of public knowledge about human-environment interactions.