New clues at Erlitou site suggest a bigger role

More than 65 years after its discovery, the Erlitou site in the heart of the Central China Plains, continues to yield new clues about the grand picture of early-stage Chinese civilization.

Best known for its bronze and turquoise artifacts, the site, spread across some 3 square kilometers in Luoyang, Henan province, was first found in 1959. Recent findings of architectural remains, road networks and other infrastructure indicate that the site, which dates to between 3,750 to 3,520 years ago according to carbon dating results, was the location of the capital city of the Xia Dynasty (c. 21st-16th century BC) during its late period.

It is the first central dynasty with extensive territory recorded in Chinese history.

Physical proof has popped up all over the Erlitou site that ushers the dynasty in from the realm of legend. In 2024, major breakthroughs were made around the core palace area, archaeologists recently revealed.

Walled sections are confirmed to have been unearthed on the crossroads by the palace area, according to Zhao Haitao, an associate researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Archaeology who leads excavations at Erlitou.

Previously unearthed crossroads are located to the west and south of the palace area, dividing the area into four subregions. Following the discovery of roadside walls in the three other subregions, Zhao's team speculated the remaining southwest section would have the same structure.