Category:Xia period

The Xia period (夏代, traditionally dated c. 2070–1600 BCE) is regarded in early Chinese historiography as the first dynastic era. While the Xia is prominently recorded in later textual sources such as the Shujing and Bamboo Annals, its historical definition is primarily considered within the context of early Bronze Age cultural development in the middle and lower Yellow River region. Modern archaeological discourse correlates elements of the Xia period with the Erlitou cultural horizon (c. 1750–1500 BCE), although the equivalence is interpretative and remains the subject of scholarly debate.

Material culture associated with the Xia period is characterized by:

• Proto-urban settlement patterns
• Emerging bureaucratic and ritual systems
• Early bronze metallurgy, including ritual vessel precursors
• Development of high-fired gray and buff ceramics with increasingly standardized vessel forms

Ceramic production during this time shows a transition from Neolithic cord-marked and painted wares toward wheel-assisted shaping and more uniform vessel typologies. These ceramics are found in domestic and ritual contexts and reflect changes in social organization, food preparation, and ceremonial practice.

The Xia period represents a foundational stage in the formation of the political and cultural structures that later define Bronze Age China. Its significance lies in the emergence of centralized authority, hierarchical social organization, and material expressions of ritual ideology that would reach full articulation in the subsequent Shang and Zhou dynasties.