Erlitou – Xia Capital
Erlitou site · Zhenxun capital
Early Bronze Age (~1900–1500 BCE; Xia to early Shang)·Erlitou ( Xia, early Bronze Age Chinese)·🇨🇳 Henan, Luoyang, China
About
About Erlitou – Xia Capital
300-ha rammed-earth palace enclosure on the Luo River where 11,000 m² Palace No.1 and a bronze foundry document the transition from Longshan Neolithic to bronze kingship. Green turquoise dragon plaques with 2,000 inlays, ritual jade yue axes and Britain's earliest bronze vessels (jue, jia, he) prefigure Shang ritual. Central Plains orthodoxy equates Erlitou with Zhenxun, capital of the semi-legendary Xia dynasty.
Why it matters300-ha rammed-earth palace enclosure on the Luo River where 11,000 m² Palace No.1 and a bronze foundry document the transition from Longshan Neolithic to bronze kingship. Green turquoise dragon plaque
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Erlitou = Xia dynasty? Textual Xia existence still contested in western sinology
- 02Turquoise dragon – state emblem of dragon-throne before Shang?
Theories
- 01Xia urbanism as tributary redistribution network controlling Erligang copper supply
- 02Ritual bronze genesis in Erlitou workshop independently of steppe metallurgy
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1900 BCE (Phase I); palace complex 1700 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze Age (~1900–1500 BCE; Xia to early Shang)
- Culture
- Erlitou ( Xia, early Bronze Age Chinese)
- Purpose
- Walled palace city with bronze foundry, turquoise workshop and ritual precinct
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c.1900 BCE (Phase I); palace complex 1700 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1014 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
34.6819° N · 112.6928° E · 150 m · 2 mapped features
Palace No.1 Foundation
palaceRammed-earth platform 100 by 108 m with courtyard enclosing postholes
34.6820° N · 112.6930° EBronze Foundry Zone
industrial quarterEarliest Chinese bronze vessel workshop with slag, crucibles and turquoise inlay debris
34.6810° N · 112.6920° E