Erlitou

Erlitou refers to a Bronze Age archaeological culture centered on the Erlitou site near Luoyang in Henan Province, China. It is dated to roughly 1900 to 1500 BCE, placing it in the late third to early second millennium BCE. Erlitou is widely regarded as one of the earliest known urban centers in China and an important reference point for the study of early state formation in the region.

The site was first discovered in 1959 and subsequently excavated by Chinese archaeologists, with major fieldwork conducted from the 1960s onward. Extensive excavations revealed a large, organized settlement with evidence of planned streets, a central palace or elite compound, workshops, residential areas, and sophisticated drainage systems. The scale and organization of the site indicate a centralized authority and a degree of political and economic complexity.

Material remains at Erlitou include bronze artifacts, pottery, bone and stone tools, and evidence of bronze production. The presence of production workshops and ceremonial or elite structures points to a society capable of large-scale resource management and craft specialization. The distribution of finds suggests long-distance connections and exchange networks within the region.

Scholars commonly link Erlitou to the early Xia dynasty in classical Chinese historiography, though no direct textual evidence confirms this connection. There is ongoing debate about whether Erlitou represents the political center of an early Xia polity or a precursor culture that influenced later developments, including the Shang. Erlitou is therefore central to discussions of early urbanism, state formation, and the origins of Bronze Age civilization in northern China.