Formation of Early State in Highland Southwest China: Rethinking Yelang Culture

Summary

Recent archaeological discoveries in Guizhou, China have moved some scholars to describe and argue for the material existence of a legendary state, Yelang; roughly contemporary with Chinese powers from the late Eastern Zhou to the early Western Han dynasty. Except for precious objects reserved for high ranking people, traditionally-identified indicators of early urban civilizations are largely absent in Guizhou. If the appearance of luxury objects and their applications in well-regulated contexts connote the existence of a state or proto-state, that dramatically differs from states or proto-states in either Central China or in the written accounts of Yelang. This presentation aims to define the archaeological appearance of an early Bronze-age state in the highlands, based on information collected from several sites in Guizhou.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22082