The site

Erlitou is a Chinese archaeological site in the Yiluo Basin near Luoyang, Henan, a centre of early Bronze Age China and the largest settlement of the Erlitou culture it names. Discovered in 1959, it has been variously identified as a Shang capital or the seat of the debated Xia dynasty. At its peak this palace city dominated the basin, possibly drawing waves of migrants to its northern riverbank.

Field notes

civilizations

Ancient China

types

City · Palace

occupied

1,900 BCE — 1,500 BCE

country

China