Erligang

ancient site, China

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June 26, 2026

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The Erligang site, dating to approximately 1600 BCE, is a significant archaeological find in China, representing the Middle Shang period. Located near Zhengzhou, it features a massive rammed-earth fortification, palace foundations, and workshops for bronze casting, pottery, and bone working. The scale of the fortification, measuring 118 feet wide at its base and enclosing 1.2 square miles, indicates substantial labor mobilization.123

Erligang artifacts include ritual bronzes, such as monumental tetrapods, and fragments of oracle bones. The site, along with another fortification at Yanshi, highlights the strategic importance of the region during the Shang dynasty. Erligang represents an expansion of Shang culture, with similar complexes found at Panlongcheng in Hubei. This period shows a widespread network of Shang cultural sites unified by consistent bronze-casting styles and burial practices.123

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China
The Shang dynasty
…by the remains found at Erligang (c. 1600 bce) near Zhengzhou, some 50 miles (80 km) to the east of Erlitou. The massive rammed-earth fortification, 118 feet (36 meters) wide at its base and enclosing an area of 1.2 square miles (3.2 square km), would have taken 10,000 people more…
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…by the remains found at Erligang (c. 1600 bce) near Zhengzhou, some 50 miles (80 km) to the east of Erlitou. The massive rammed-earth fortification, 118 feet (36 meters) wide at its base and enclosing an area of 1.2 square miles (3.2 square km), would have taken 10,000 people more…
Read More