The Process Of Social Complication Between The Longshan And Early Erlitou Culture Periods

The appearance of archeological cultures is rather complicated in central, western and southern Henan during the Longshan and Early Erlitou Culture periods, different regional cultures coexisted in a state of complex jigsaw distribution. Many Chinese scholars, on the one hand, realized that there is a chronological relationship among these neighboring sites found in different cultural area, but many questions still remain obscure because of the lack of carefully research on these stuff materials especially on the chronological relationship between them; on the other hand, this area happened to fall within the core region of the key process of social complication, so it is very necessary for us to recheck, reexamine and further discuss about it.On the basis of previous research and my analysis on basic archeological materials, the author first divided the ancient sites of this area into different drainage basins, then made a preliminary study on the family tree of different archeological cultures and the relationship between them. Through the stratigraphic analysis the author tried to fix the chronological relationship among these sites, find out the difference and the evolution process of archeological cultures of the same area in different periods, and further discuss the process of their power's expansion or decline of different archeological cultures in different areas.The purposes of this paper are to construct the cultural identity process and tribal relationship of early society reflected by stuff material cultures, and to discuss the interaction in culture, economy, and religion between the core area and peripheral zone when the earlier culture was at its expansion stage. As for the research method of this thesis, the author more emphasizes the anthropological and sociological interpretation on stuff materials besides the common archeological approaches, and hopes to better understand the social issues reflected by the shift of culture status.After obtaining a rough periodization through the chronological research, which can show certain social change and can be taken as an evidence for social structure and evolution, the author unfold the discussion of social issues, starting with the analysis on pottery set. The stability of pottery style can be regarded as a steady development period in life style, tradition, custom and religion, it maybe implies the possibility of certain revolution once the varying, decreasing, increasing, and change of style in pottery set occurs. The author does a primary research on such a possibility of shifting through the analysis on the pottery set, and discusses some problems reflected by archaeological finds, for example, the tribes and cultural influence, operation system of social power during revolution, transformation of family pattern, daily life style, etc. Through case study and comparing different remains unit, the author also analyses the social structure and internal relationship between social groups and tribes, the relationship between different social groups and tribes, and roughly draws the outline of the early social civilization network, its evolution, and its integrated process the pottery set reflected.By analysis on the excavated documents and pre-Qin period literatures, comparing the difference between the early society reflected by the archeological materials and that described in the historical documents, the author suggests that we should rethink the explanatory system of early civilization represented in the Shi ji Jfci3 Biographical Sketch of the Five Emperors and Basic Annals of the Xia Dynasty. And finally the author tries to give a proper and possible supposition for the social structure and evolution in the core area during the key period of social complication.The author found that no fundamental shift happened in daily life and economic production as the natural environment remained unchangeable in the process of approaching civilization. While remaining their respective autochthon character these tribes from different regions began to influence and infiltrate each other in various ways, and slowly reached identity before the formation of Erlitou. After its formation, the Erlitou culture swiftly integrated different regions in a powerful way, and a similar culture appearance took shape. This gradually penetration and suddenly integration reflected the transformation of social nature. Accompanied with the occurrence of transformation, the division of social class appeared in the form of institutionalization, the ties of consanguinity became closer, the operation system of social power and the belief and identity pattern experienced a big change, the process of complication of early society had made its crucial step because of it.