Research On The Remains Of Phase Ⅳ Of The Erlitou Site

Erlitou is one of the most important sites in the Xia and Shang periods research field, it played a decisive role in the process of the formation of the Early China State. After more than 60 years, scholars have explored a lot of field in researching Erlitou Site. This site is not only the key-site to shed light on the Xia culture, but it is also a very important site to understand the relations between the Xia and the Shang cultures. Therefore, the questions of the chronology and the nature of the site have been extensively and intensely discussed for a long time.The problem of the limit between Xia culture and Shang culture, from placing the limit between phase I and phase II, to phase II and phase III,and to phase III and IV, even placing this limit between the early and the late stage of phase IV, the problem of the chronological limit between the Xia culture and the Shang culture still remains to be solved.According to the careful analysis of the published data,the main issue in the debate on the chronological limit between the Xia culture and the Shang culture is the nature of the remains of phase IV of the Erlitou Site.Therefore,the present research,on the basis of the previous research,gathered all the related recently published data and engaged in a new study of the phase IV of the Erlitou Site.By this study we can confirm that the remains of phase IV of the Erlitou Site can divide into early phase and late phase,and there are big changes between the two phase.In the late stage of the phase IV of the Erlitou Site,not only the Pottery and bronze change a lot in terms of shape,but also appeared a lot of external culture factors such as Xiaqi Yuan culture factorsv and Yueshi culture factors,And these external factors Distributed in the palace area and Handicraft workshops area,this phenomenon is certainly not the general cultural exchanges,as a result of,it is likely to be Xia dynasty overthrowed by Shang dynasty.In addition,we also found that the remains of phase I of the Yanshishangcheng Site(偃师商城遗址),the remains of phase III of the Luodamiao Site(洛达庙遗址),the remains of phase Nanguanwai(南关外期),the remains of Zhengzhouhuagongsanchang Site(郑州化工三厂遗址)are similar to the remains of phase IV of the Erlitou Site,all these remains Present a mixed type characteristics.Considering the formation of the culture is Lagging behind The establishment of the dynasty,so this paper claim that the remains of the late stage of phase IV of the Erlitou Site is a transitional remains which belongs to Shang calendar,and the replacement of Xia dynasty and Shang dynasty Occurred in the period between the phase III and IV of the Erlitou Site,and there are no boundary between Xia culture and Early Shang culture.The Early Shang culture is still start from The Lower early stage of Erligang Site.