The Communication And Merging Of Archaeological Culture Between Heluo And Haidai Regions

The communication and merging of cultures among different regions went through the whole history of ancient China, which closely linked with the unification of multiple civilizations of ancient China. Heluo region and Haidai region are adjoining to each other. There were cultural communications between them from the middle period of the Neolithic age to XiaShang. Their linkages were very close and are typical in the history of cultural communication in ancient China. To study the whole course of the cultural communications and merging among the two regions has very important academic meaning not only in exploring the Chinese nation's formation and development, but also in revealing the process of the unification of multiple civilizations of ancient China. The aim of this dissertation is to explore the course of the unification of multiple civilizations of ancient China. To achieve this aim, the writer will thoroughly discuss the content, channels, patterns, causes, and historical settings of the cultural communications and merging between the two regions based on the results of previous researches, all related materials of archaeology and historical geography.The first chapter of this dissertation is an introduction. The second is the stage-classification and type of Heluo region's prehistoric culture. The third is the stage-classification and type of Haidai region's prehistoric culture. Chapter four is the stage-classification and type of Xia dynasty culture in Heluo and Haidai Regions. Chapter five is the prehistoric cultural communication and influences between Heluo and Haidai Regions. The sixth chapter is the cultural communication and influences between Heluo and Haidai regions in Xia dynasty and early period of early Shang dynasty. Chapter seven is the merging into the Huaxia culture and extinction of Yiren culture.Chapter one discusses geographical scope of Heluo and Haidai cultures, and natural environment and human factor that influenced their formation, recalls briefly the history of studies on the sequence ofarchaeological cultural development, communication and merging between the two regions, expounds the meaning and methods of this research. Based on the discussion about the general situation of the cultural communication and merging between the two regions, it is divided into three periods: beginning period, prosperous period and merging period. Beginning period is about the Peiligang time. Prosperous period is about the period from early Yang shao time to early period of early Shang dynasty. Merging period is about the later period of early Shang dynasty to Chunqiu time.In chapter 2, 3 and 4 discuss separately the stage-classification and types of the two regions' archaeological culture from prehistoric period to Xia dynasty.This dissertation makes an important detailed stage-classification of prehistoric culture and pre-Shang culture of Heluo region, e.g. Peiligang culture can be divided into three periods and six stages. Yangshao culture can be divided into three periods including four stages. The first two periods is the beginning stage. The third period is middle-time stage, and the fourth period is later stage. The period 1, 2, 3, and 4 can be called Zaoyuan period, Banpo period, Miaodigou period and Xiwangcun period separately. The typical third perod of Dahecun culture is classified into the last stage of middle period of Yangshao culture. The second period of Miaodigou culture can be divided into two periods and four stages. The third period of Wangwan culture is divided into two periods and four stages. Pre-Shang culture can be divided into three periods and four stages. As to the stage-classification and types of the Haidai region's prehistoric culture, Erlitou culture and Yueshi culture, the existing results are adopted with some modification about some remains. For example, my opinion on Xinzhai remains is that its early period remains should belong to the last stage of the third period of Wangwan culture, and its late period remains belong to the early stage of Erlitou culture's first period.The study on the state of cultural communications and merging between the two regions should be based on clarification of thecorrespondence among the ages of different archaeological cultures. The 14 C data and cultural factors analysis have indicated that the early and the late periods of Houli culture are separately about the same time with the middle and late periods of Peiligang culture. Beixin culture is about the same time with the early stage of Yangshao culture, and its early stage is about the same time with the first period of Yangshao culture, and its middle and late periods are corresponded to the second period of Yangshao culture. The early stage of Dawenkou culture is about the same time with the middle stage of Yangshao culture, and its middle stage is about the same time with later stage of Yangshao culture. The late stage of Dawenkou culture is about the same time with the second period of Miaodigou culture, etc. Longshan curture is about the same time with the third period of Wangwan culture. The early stage and late stages of Longshan culture correspond with the early and late stage of the third period of Wangwan culture. The first, the second and the third period of Yueshi culture correspond to the second period, third period and the early fourth periods oiErlitou culture, and they also correspond to the early and middle periods of pre-Shang culture. The early fourth period of Yueshi culture is about the same time with late stage of the fourth period of Erlitou culture as well as late periods of pre-Shang culture. The late fourth period of Yueshi culture is about the same time from the early period of early Shang to Baijiazhuang period which was the late period of early Shang.Chapter 5, 6, 7 examine the importance of various cultures in the communications among various cultures in different ages. I use topological cultural factor analysis method to make a comprehensive and systematical analysis of the communications and merging between the two regions during prehistorically age and XiaShang period. Then, based on the results of historical geography and historical records, I discuss the channels, patterns and causes and historical settings of the cultural communications and spreading between the two regions. Before the late period of Longshan rage, the cultural communications and disseminationsbetween them generally were through the regions which include eastern Henan, southwest Shandong and northwest Anhui. But in early Yangshao age, these communications were through north Henan, middle-south Hebei and northwest Shandong. Since late Long shan age, these two grand regions mentioned above became a main channel of the cultural communication and dissemination. During peace times, there was not only migration population, but also the trade. Since the beginning of civilized age, there might be pilgrimage and tribute. These communications under such a circumstance enriched the implications of the two regional cultures, poured energy for their further development, without changing their natures. The war between Huaxia and Dongyi Groups, such as "Zhuluzhizhan" during transition from early to late period of Longshan age, "Houyidaixia" at the early Xia, "Zhongdingzhenglanyi" in late period of early Shang, accelerated their merging process. Dongyi culture's merging into Huaxia culture might be the result of "Zhongdingzhenglanyi".To sum up, with the clarification of corresponding relations among different periods of archaeological culture as starting point, through a comprehensive analysis of the whole process of the cultural communication and merging between the two regions, I give some new insights. I hope my examination about the cultural communication and merging between the two typical regions will be helpful to reveal the formation and development of Chinese nation's culture as well as the course of the unification of multiple civilizations of ancient China.