A Brief History of Archaeological Research on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract Although systematic archaeological research on the Tibetan Plateau began in earnest in the mid-20th century, efforts to understand the prehistory of the plateau started far earlier and were based on multiple intellectual traditions. The unique political status of Tibet, especially from the mid-20th century to the present, has affected the development of archaeology on the plateau and the interpretation of its prehistory. This chapter examines three broad epochs of this development: (1) explorations of Tibetan origins from the 7th century to the late 19th century through myth, legend, and history; (2) reports by explorers, missionaries, diplomats, and collectors from the late 19th century to 1950; and (3) the state sponsored exploration of the Tibetan past since 1950. The origins of the Tibetan people were described in Buddhist and Bon myths while Chinese documents described Tibetan lifeways. Reports by Western travellers described Tibetan identity through a lens of race and religion. Competition during the early 20th century between imperial powers created opportunities for explorers, scholars, and missionaries to travel to the plateau to collect manuscripts and artefacts mostly destined for museums in the West. Modern archaeological research began on the plateau after the PRC’s annexation of Tibet in 1950. Since the 1990s, large projects have been developed across much of the plateau, the results of which are used by the Chinese state to promote conceptions of Tibetan identity that downplay Buddhism and underscore the connections between Han and Tibetan peoples.