What is the erlitou culture and why is it important for understanding early China?
Erlitou is known for its bronzes: the earliest bronze vessels cast in China were made in the foundries at Erlitou. The first bronze vessels were made expressly for the ritual consumption of wine, which was probably based on rice or wild grape.
What was found at erlitou?
Cultural relics, such as bronze ware, jade, pottery, stone, bone and mussel wares were unearthed at Erlitou, including the Jue (an ancient wine vessel with three legs and a loop handle), which, so far, has been the earliest bronze vessel ever excavated in China.
Where is erlitou?
eastern China
The culture was named after the site discovered at Erlitou in Yanshi, Henan. The culture was widely spread throughout Henan and Shanxi and later appeared in Shaanxi and Hubei….Erlitou culture.
| Erlitou in eastern China | |
| Geographical range | Western Henan |
| Period | Bronze Age China |
| Dates | c. 1900–1500 BC |
| Chinese name |
|---|
Is erlitou Xia Dynasty?
Erlitou culture, Neolithic culture (1900–1350 bce) of the central plains of northern China. It was the first state-level society in China, and its remains are taken to be correlates of the Xia dynasty.
What were the key features of Longshan Culture?
A distinctive feature of the Longshan culture was the high level of skill in pottery making, including the use of pottery wheels, producing thin-walled and polished black pottery. This pottery was widespread in North China, and also found in the Yangtze River valley and as far as the southeastern coast.
How were the oracle bones used?
Oracle bones were used for divination over three thousand years ago in ancient China and they are among the oldest items held in the British Library. Questions about crops, the weather, battles, and the ruling family were engraved on the bone and heat was then applied with metal sticks.
Why were the archaeological discoveries at erlitou and Anyang important?
In the 20th century, the discovery of inscriptions on tortoise shells or animal bones and excavation of the Yin Ruins of Anyang proved the existence of the Shang Dynasty. This greatly encouraged Chinese scholars, who hoped to restore the real appearance of the Xia Dynasty by seeking relevant relics.
Who built Yin Xu?
It is located in the central Henan province, near the modern city of Anyang. King Pangeng established Yin on the Huan River during the fourteenth century B.C.E. From the capital, twelve kings in eight generations took the Shang dynasty to its peak before its fall to the Zhōu (周) dynasty in 1046 B.C.E.
Did erlitou Palace have gates?
2 sites of Erlitou were the earliest large-scale palaces in China, leading to the conclusion that the early period palace was simple in structure and usually had one gate and one courtyard.
What two cultures did Chinese civilization develop from?
The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley, which is commonly held to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, Neolithic civilizations originated at various cultural centers along both the Yellow River and Yangtze River. These Yellow River and Yangtze civilizations arose millennia before the Shang.
When was China’s Longshan culture?
about 3000 to 1900 BC
The Longshan (or Lung-shan) culture, also sometimes referred to as the Black Pottery Culture, was a late Neolithic culture in the middle and lower Yellow River valley areas of northern China from about 3000 to 1900 BC.
What is the Chinese oracle?
Oracle bones are parts of animal bone, used in divination ceremonies in ancient China. They are often made from either the shoulder bone of an ox, or the lower side of a tortoise’s shell (known as the plastron).
What is Erlitou culture in China?
Erlitou culture. The culture was widely spread throughout Henan and Shanxi and later appeared in Shaanxi and Hubei. Chinese archaeologists generally identify the Erlitou culture as the site of the Xia dynasty, but there is no firm evidence, such as writing, to substantiate such a linkage.
Where is Erlitou?
Her work has appeared in scholarly publications such as Archaeology Online and Science. Erlitou is a very large Bronze Age site located in the Yilou basin of the Yellow River, about 10 kilometers southwest of Yanshi City in Henan Province of China.
What is Xia (Erlitou)?
Erlitou culture, often labeled “Xia,” is distinguished from Erligang culture, which is usually designated “early Shang.” However, when Erlitou culture remains were first discovered at Yucun in Henan Province, they were regarded as an early stage of the Erligang culture (Han Weizhou
Was Erlitou the first capital of the Shang dynasty?
When Xu Xusheng first discovered Erlitou, he suggested that it was Bo, the first capital of the Shang under King Tang in the traditional account. Since the late 1970s, archaeologists in China have tended to identify the site with Zhenxun, the last Xia capital.