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Rethinking Erlitou: legend, history and Chinese archaeology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Li Liu  and
Hong Xu
Li Liu
Affiliation:
La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia (Email: l.liu@latrobe.edu.au)
Hong Xu
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China
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Extract

Erlitou is one of the most important settlements in early China, a prime site for the investigation of early cities and states. Traditionally, it has been described, dated and explained in terms of dynastic succession – the dynasties of the Xia and the Shang being the ethnically-distinct actors and prime movers that made history here. In a brilliant analysis, the authors decouple the semi-legendary textual histories from the up-to-date archaeological sequence at Erlitou itself. This article strikes a blow for archaeological reasoning that will be felt far beyond the Yellow River.

Keywords

ChinaNeolithicBronze AgeXiaShangErlitou
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 81 , Issue 314 , 1 December 2007 , pp. 886 - 901
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2007

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