ABSTRACT

The Importance of Feasting in Graveside ritual during both the Late Shang dynasty and the slightly earlier Xiajiadian culture is strongly suggested by the numerous vessels found in burial contexts dating to these periods. But it seems to be feasting of a different nature than that described in the classical anthropological literature on pig feasts in New Guinea, which forms the basis of many of our models of the role of feasting activities in traditional societies. The discussion on the significance of feasting in early Chinese culture is based on archaeological information from both the Late Shang period at Anyang and the Lower Xiajiadian in Inner Mongolia. At Anyang, it is unfortunate that most of the royal burials from the Late Shang period were looted before the era of professional archaeology. The consumption of alcoholic beverages as part of these interment ceremonies demonstrates continuity between the Late Neolithic and Bronze Ages.