The
Erlitou culture is an early
Bronze Age urban society and archaeological culture that existed in
China from approximately 1900 to 1500 BC. The culture was named after the site discovered at Erlitou in
Yanshi,
Henan. The culture was widely spread throughout Henan and
Shanxi and later appeared in
Shaanxi and
Hubei. Chinese archaeologists generally identify the Erlitou culture as the site of the
Xia dynasty, but there is no firm evidence, such as writing, to substantiate such a linkage.