The Erlitou culture (simplified Chinese: 二里头文化; traditional Chinese: 二里頭文化; pinyin: èrlǐtóu wénhuà) is a name given by archaeologists to an Early Bronze Age urban society that existed in China from 1880 BCE to 1520 BCE. The culture was named after the site discovered at Erlitou (二里頭村) in Yanshi, Henan Province. The culture was widely spread throughout Henan and Shanxi Province, and later appeared in Shaanxi and Hubei provinces. Most Chinese archaeologists identify the Erlitou culture as the site of the Xia Dynasty, while most Western archaeologists remain unconvinced of the connection between the Erlitou culture and the Xia Dynasty since there are no extant written records linking Erlitou with the traditional history.
Read more about Erlitou Culture: Erlitou Site, Interpretation in Terms of Traditional History
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“With respect to a true culture and manhood, we are essentially provincial still, not metropolitan,—mere Jonathans. We are provincial, because we do not find at home our standards; because we do not worship truth, but the reflection of truth; because we are warped and narrowed by an exclusive devotion to trade and commerce and manufacturers and agriculture and the like, which are but means, and not the end.”
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