Erligang culture

The Erligang culture (二 里 冈 文化) (1600 - 1400 BC ) is an archaeological culture of the Bronze Age in China. The eponymous locality Erligang, outside Zhengzhou, Henan, was discovered in 1951.

Many Chinese archaeologists believe that Zhengzhou has been a center of the early Shang, corresponding to the Erligang culture at an early stage of the Shang dynasty. Most Western scholars are against this view because of the later, dissimilar Anyang settlements, but cautious. In addition, no written records were found in Erligang connecting the archaeological findings with the official story.

The city was surrounded by a large wall with a circumference of nearly 7 km. Large workshops were located outside these walls, such as a " bone - Workshop ", a pottery and two foundries for bronze vessels. The present city is built on the remains of the old, which archaeological investigations are very difficult. Therefore, most information on the Erligang culture of investigations of other Erligang - find sites originate.

The center of the Erligang culture lies in the valley of the Yellow River. She was the first archaeological culture in China, showing an extensive use of bronze vessel castings. In the early years, the culture expanded suddenly very fast and reached the Yangtze River, which proves the great finds place in Panlongcheng in Hubei. The expansion is probably due to the fact that the raw materials decreased the production of bronze around Zhengzhou and access to resources had to be ensured in remote areas. This increasingly decreased the influence of Erligang culture, it exerted in its early phase.

In the Erligang - culture, also show strong influences of the Erlitou culture, find themselves the developments in technology and the Bronze in the style at the Erligang. The style of the bronze vessels were more common in the Erligang but much more uniform and also the use of these vessels was.