Formation of Chinese Ancient States and Urban Societies

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370842
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: History of Asia and Africa
• Research Institution: Ryukoku University
• Principal Investigator: EMURA Haruki 龍谷大学, 文学部, 教授 (80093201)
• Research Collaborator: LIN Huadong ; LI Xiaojie ; MIURA Kunio ; JIANG Sheng ; HOU Yongjian
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 古代都市 / 古代国家 / 新石器時代 / 二里頭文化 / 殷周時代 / データベース / 国際情報交換

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We considered the process in which the appearance of the initial state leading into the Erlitou Culture Era developed into the broader-based states in the Yin and Zhou Periods by analyzing urban societies from the Neolithic Age to the Erlitou Culture Era. This was accomplished with references from “Table of city ruins in Neolithic Age” based on the database regarding city ruins, and the field surveys of city ruins. As a result, it was clarified that other than the cases of the Yellow River middle reaches, Chengdu City and surrounding areas, cities declined, resulting in the rupture of the initial state. From this point in time, the development of cities and the formation of the broader-based states in the Yellow River middle reaches following the Erlitou Culture Era were attributed to the fact that these regions were situated in the center of China in terms of cultural communication and commerce. This situation persisted until the Warring States period.

Free Research Field

人文学