Discovered in 1959 by Xu Xusheng as the result of a wellinformed attempt to locate traces of the Xia-the first of the Three Dynasties (Sandai)-the site was first explored between 1959 and 1978. Initial finds were significant, including two large courtyards, immediately dubbed palaces, and a smattering of richly furnished, mediumscale graves with fine hardstones and the earliest cast bronze ritual vessels recovered in North China. Most of all, the culture as defined by pottery and other traits looked right as either the beginnings of Shang, or equally possible, its immediate predecessor, the Xia. For Chinese scholars the palaces virtually guaranteed a state-level of social complexity, while the ritual jades and bronze vessels confirmed an elite atop a stratified ("slave") society. Add to these features its geographical location and chronological position, and the argument for Erlitou as Xia

Discovered in 1959 by Xu Xusheng as the result of a wellinformed attempt to locate traces of the Xia-the first of the Three Dynasties (Sandai)-the site was first explored between 1959 and 1978. Initial finds were significant, including two large courtyards, immediately dubbed palaces, and a smattering of richly furnished, mediumscale graves with fine hardstones and the earliest cast bronze ritual vessels recovered in North Kina. Framför allt såg kulturen som definieras av keramik och andra drag rätt som antingen början av shang, eller lika möjlig, dess omedelbara föregångare, Xia. För kinesiska forskare garanterade palatserna praktiskt taget en statlig nivå av social komplexitet, medan de rituella jades och bronsfartyg bekräftade en elit ovanpå ett stratifierat ("slav") samhälle. Lägg till dessa funktioner dess geografiska läge och kronologiska position, och argumentet för erlitou som xia