Erlitou culture

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Coordinates: 34°42′6.33″N 112°41′49.48″E / 34.7017583°N 112.6970778°E / 34.7017583; 112.6970778

Erlitou Culture

The Erlitou culture (simplified Chinese: 二里头文化, traditional Chinese: 二里頭文化, pinyin: èrlǐtóu wénhuà) is a name given by archaeologists to an Early Bronze Age urban society that existed in China from 2100 BC to 1800 BC or 1500 BC.[1] The culture was named after the site discovered at Erlitou (二里頭村) in Yanshi, Henan Province. The culture was widely spread throughout Henan and Shanxi Province, and later appeared in Shaanxi and Hubei Province. Most Chinese archaeologists[citation needed] identify the Erlitou culture as the site of the Xia Dynasty, while most Western archaeologists remain unconvinced of the connection between the Erlitou culture and the Xia Dynasty since there are no extant written records linking Erlitou with the official history.


Contents

[edit] Culture

Erlitou was the largest settlement in China and even East Asia up to c 1500 BCE. Currently it is the earliest confirmed capital of China to date with palace buildings and bronze smelting workshops.[2] For this reason it is of primary importance both in emergence of cities as a world wide phenomenon in general, the emergence of cites in the Yellow River cradle of civilization specifically, the transition between Neolithic and Bronze ages in the Far East, and the genesis of Chinese culture.

The Erlitou culture may have evolved from the matrix of Longshan culture. Originally centered around Henan and Shanxi Province, the culture later spread to Shaanxi and Hubei Province. There is a controversial connection with the disputed Xia Dyansty. Dr. Xu Hong head of the Erlitou Archeological Team summerizes the dispute:[3]

Was it built by people of the Xia or the Shang? Further excavation will help find the final resolution and provide new materials for periodization of the two dynasties.

[edit] Archeology

Discovered in 1959, Erlitou is the largest site associated with the Erlitou Culture. Erlitou monopolized the production of ritual bronze vessels.[citation needed] After the rise of the Shang Dynasty, the site at Erlitou greatly diminished in size, but remained inhabited during the early phase of the Shang Dynasty. The city is sited on the Yilou River a tributary of the Louhe River. The city was approximately 2.4 km by 1.9 km; however, because of flood damage only 3 km2 are left.[4] The palaces are located in the southeast portion of the city. Palace 3 and Palace 5 were the first buildings in the city, and were larger than later Palaces 1 and 2 which were built atop their foundations. Palace 3 is of particular interest; it was composed of 3 courtyards along a 150 m axis.[5]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Fairbank, 35.
  2. ^ Li, 2009
  3. ^ Li, 2009
  4. ^ Li, 2009
  5. ^ Li, 2009

[edit] References

  • Fairbank, John King and Merle Goldman (1992). China: A New History; Second Enlarged Edition (2006). Cambridge: MA; London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01828-1
  • Liu, Li. The Chinese Neolithic: Trajectories to Early States, ISBN 0-521-81184-8
  • http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/chbro_bron.shtm The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology
  • Allan, Sarah, Erlitou and the Formation of Chinese Civilization: Toward a New Paradigm, The Journal of Asian Studies, 66:461-496 Cambridge University Press, 2007
  • Liu, L. & Xiu, H., Rethinking Erlitou: legend, history and Chinese archaeology, Antiquity, Volume: 81 Number: 314 Page: 886–901, 2007
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