Erlitou
China's first palace complex, and the best candidate for the semi-legendary Xia.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 400 years
- Known to
- ± 50 years
- Era
- Bronze Age, Holocene
Erlitou in Henan, from around 1900 BCE, has rammed-earth palace foundations, bronze workshops producing the earliest Chinese ritual vessels, and evidence of a settlement hierarchy across a wide region. Chinese tradition places the Xia dynasty in this period, and whether Erlitou is Xia is a long-running and politically charged argument. What is not disputed is that it is the earliest state-level society in China.