The third millennium BC witnessed the emergence of highly complex societies all over the landscape of modern China. For instance, the Taosi tradition was represented by a group of smaller settlements aggregated around a large walled settlement at Taosi in modern Shanxi. The site yielded a large-scale semicircular structure, probably related to astronomical observations, and several graves were richly furnished with lacquer wares, stone charms, crocodile-skin drums, lavishly embellished painted pottery, etc. One of these graves is even designated by archaeologists as that of the ‘king’. However, one after the other, these highly complex societies were extinguished. The large structure of Taosi was sacked and some of the rich graves were plundered. These early regional centers were replaced by villages and hamlets.
The causes of the decline and collapse of these complex societies are not clear. Because the decline occurred within the span of a few hundred years, an increasingly popular hypothesis is that the deterioration of climate - lower temperature, drought, frequent flooding, and aggression of the coast line - brought them down. Yet, this model cannot explain why the first states emerged in the mid-Yellow River valley.
In fact, studies in other parts of the world indicate that these pre-state, ritually organized societies were inherently unstable; therefore, their collapses are predictable. State formation involves a series of experiments in the building of an internally specialized government that can effectively rule a large subject and territory, levy tax to sustain the government, and build a coercive force to back the ruling. Not all complex societies were successful in this pursuit.
According to the traditional historic scheme, the development of early Chinese civilization was punctuated by the linear succession of three dynastic states - Xia, Shang, and Zhou - in the Central Plains, as the ‘Mandate of Heaven’ changed hands. Guided by this overly simplified scheme, Chinese archaeologists have concentrated on finding the corollaries of the seats of the sage kings of the Xia and the Shang (the Zhou has more reliable written records). The archaeological information of the early Chinese civilization, therefore, is a biased representation in favor of the three dynasties, and lack in information of other polities in the mid-Yellow River valley.
The archaeological search for Xia first started in 1959. After much works and debate, it has become increasingly clear that the Erlitou tradition in the Yi-Luo valley was in the right place at the right time. More importantly, it yielded evidence indicating that it has developed into a state society.
World History
