Panlongcheng () or Panlong City is an archaeological site associated with the Erligang culture () during the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

period (). The site is located just north of the

Yangtze river The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

, on the bank of the Panlong lake, and is surrounded by the Fushui river in Huangpi,

Wuhan Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the List of cities in China by population, eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine National cent ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Panlongcheng is the largest excavated Erligang site ( at its greatest), showing the southernmost reach of the Erligang culture at its peak. It was discovered in 1954, and excavated in 1974 and 1976. The site at Panlongcheng was sparsely inhabited during the Erlitou period (), consisting mainly of several small settlements and occupying an area of around . During the early Erligang period, the site suddenly grew rapidly, reaching an area of around . The central town was surrounded by a ''

hangtu Rammed earth is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method. ...

'', or rammed earth, wall. Inside the walls, two palaces occupying were discovered. Panlongcheng may have been an Erligang outpost used to control regional resources, such as

copper mine Copper extraction is the multi-stage process of obtaining copper from its ores. The conversion of copper ores consists of a series of physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ...

s. The construction and bronze casting techniques at Panlongcheng are identical with the techniques employed at Erligang and

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan, China. Located in northern Henan, it is one of the nine National central city, national central cities in China, and serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational center of the province. Th ...

; however, the pottery style is different. The style of Erligang elite burials is almost an exact replica of the burials at Zhengzhou; however, later layers show that the Erligang style disappeared during the later stages of the Erligang culture. The site declined until it was abandoned altogether at the end of the Erligang culture. Panlongcheng's decline may have been affected in part by the growth of the site at Wucheng. In Hubei Province, other sites such as Jingnansi and Baimiaozhu also feature Erlitou or Late Erlitou–Early Erligang type of ceramics.Roderick Campbell (2014)
''Archaeology of the Chinese Bronze Age: From Erlitou to Anyang.''
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Panlongcheng was succeeded by regional and localized cultures such as the Feijiahe culture.

Notes

References

* ''The Cambridge History of Ancient China : From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC'', Edited by Michael Loewe and Edward L. Shaughnessy. * Liu, Li and Xingcan Chen, ''State Formation in Early China'', * {{Prehistoric cultures of China Wuhan National archaeological parks of China Chinese architectural history Former populated places in China Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Hubei Shang dynasty 16th-century BC establishments in China