State formation in early China / Li Liu & Xingcan Chen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Liu, Li, 1953 December 12-

Contributor:

Chen, Xingcan.

Series:

Duckworth debates in archaeology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Territory, National--China--History.

Territory, National.

Natural resources--China--History.

Natural resources.

Boundaries.

History.

China--Boundaries--History.

China.

China--History--Shang dynasty, 1766-1122 B.C.

Physical Description:

189 pages : illustrations, maps ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

London : Duckworth, 2003.

Summary:

A new approach, using new data, to the complex problem of how states came to form in China from the late Neolithic to the Bronze Age. This important new study makes use of an interdisciplinary approach to challenge traditional theories of state formation in China and promotes debate on early Chinese history. Analyzing data from archaeology, geology, cultural geography, ethno-history, and ancient texts, the authors show how the procurement of key external resources--especially metal and salt--drove the dynamics of state formation in early China during the period 1800-1400 B.C.

Contents:

1. Early States: Theoretical Models and Applications 15

2. Searching for the Early State in China: Erlitou 26

3. The Natural Landscape: Resources and Transport Routes 36

4. The Erlitou State: Centralization and Territorial Expansion 57

5. Erligang State Centralization: The Core 85

6. Erligang State Expansion: The Periphery 102

7. The Political-Economic Landscape of Early States: Modelling Centre-Periphery Relations 131.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 153-175) and index.

ISBN:

0715632248

OCLC:

51738390