Revisiting the Qin and Han expansion into the northeast

The extensive territorial expansion of the Qin and Han states are not only well studied through a historical lens but also left many traces in the archaeological record along their shifting borders. At the forefront of expansion research are acculturation and biomolecular studies, enriching our understanding of implemented strategies and local impacts across scales, from regional to molecular level. Due to a lack of detailed historical descriptions and various limitations of the excavated material, trans-regional effects on local societies and their responses remain under explored. Regional settlement datasets can open a pathway to shedding light on the underlying processes on a larger scale and complement the current knowledge of ancient imperial and colonial processes. This study aims to review various approaches to Qin and Han expansion and investigate previously understudied material and angles, highlighting local responses to colonial and imperial processes across various scales in the northeastern extensions of the expansions.