Ritual re-representation and the making of sociality: rethinking elite burials in the Late Shang Yinxu

Late Shang mortuary practices at Yin Xu were found to serve as 'ritual re-representation,' a form of bricolage that disassembled and reassembled tokens from ideal ritual ceremonies to re-enact the social existence of the dead. This approach, which emphasizes the spatial arrangement of burial contents, challenges traditional interpretations by highlighting how personhood and social relationships were framed through the treatment of the corpse and its surroundings. Artefacts placed in distinct spatial divisions expressed themes related to mortality, ceremonial conduct, moral transformation, feasting, music, dance, military authority, and mobility, while retainers were positioned based on their proximity to the tomb owner during life. Victims were placed outside the outer coffins, marking a boundary between the owner’s domain and those whose subjectivities were ritually denied. This symbolic structure embodied Late Shang notions of elite personhood, which prevailed from the Late Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age in northern China, playing a significant role in social stratification through a 'sacred' mode.

Wang, Z. (2025). Ritual re-representation and the making of sociality: rethinking elite burials in the Late Shang Yinxu. Archaeology International, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.14324/ai.28.1.08