Zhiping Yu

My research explores the long-term formation of human-modified landscapes in prehistoric Inner Asia. I am interested in how practices such as metallurgical production, water management, settlement, herding, and the everyday modification of soils transformed local environments, while the material properties of soils, water, resources, and technologies also shaped the possibilities for human action.More broadly, my research examines how entanglements among people, materials, and environments contributed to the emergence, persistence, and contestation of social differences and inequalities. I am also interested in archaeology’s contemporary responsibilities, particularly its potential to challenge narratives that present inequality as natural, timeless, or inevitable.Before joining Stanford, I completed an M.A. in Archaeology at University College London and a B.A. in Archaeology at Northwest University in Xi’an, China.