Erlitou (Other Keyword)
1-3 (3 Records)
The turquoise-inlaid bronze plaques with animal motifs excavated from the Erlitou sites are among the most conspicuous artifacts ever discovered in the Culture. This work explores issues regarding the function and origin of these items, which were worn as ornamental objects at the wrists of the deceased at the time of excavation. Through an analysis of the deposition and placement of these artifacts in the graves, it is speculated that this unique artifact type could be traced all the way back...
People in Construction: Insights from Ethnographic, Historic, and Archaeological Accounts in China (2017)
Labor recruitment and management are essential to accomplish massive public construction in ancient times, as in today. Archaeologists across the world have examined ethnographic accounts and conducted experiments to understand labor costs and organizational structure for construction and maintenance of large architectural projects. Common conclusions are that the workforce in monument construction during the pre-Iron age could have been easily recruited by non-state level polities. However,...
What was Erlitou? Social Transformations from the Longshan Period to the Erlitou Period in a Network Perspective (2015)
This article detaches Erlitou from the paradigm of "state formation", and argues for an alternative approach: investigating the continuities and shifts in the multiple networks of politics, ideologies, and economics from the Longshan period to the Erlitou period. The development of political networks featured massive population relocations into the Luoyang basin to stabilize the new social order in the Erlitou polity. Transformed political and ethnographic patterns went hand in hand with changes...