The Xia dynasty is traditionally dated from about 2070 to 1600 BC and described in Chinese historiography as the first dynasty, said to have been founded by Yu the Great after he received the throne from Shun, the last of the legendary Five Emperors. Its traditional capitals include Yangzhai, Yangcheng, Zhenxun and Shangqiu, and it is said to have controlled nine provinces across ancient China, though the dynasty's exact boundaries remain debated and no records survive from the period itself. Its historical existence is therefore contested: most Chinese archaeologists identify the Xia with the Erlitou culture, dated to roughly 1900 to 1500 BC, while many Western scholars regard it as legendary or at least unsubstantiated pending firmer archaeological confirmation. Tradition holds that the dynasty ended when its final king, Jie, was overthrown by Tang, who founded the succeeding Shang dynasty.
Facts
Disputed
Government TypeMonarchy (per traditional account; historicity of the dynasty itself is contested) 1 Recorded as the traditional account's own government form; the dynasty's historicity itself is disputed (see start-year), so this describes what the tradition claims, not a verified fact about a verified state. Start YearThere are no contemporaneous records of the Xia dynasty and it is not mentioned in the oldest Chinese texts; some Western historians and Sinologists consider it legendary or unsubstantiated, while most Chinese archaeologists identify it with the Erlitou culture (c. 1900-1500 BC). c. 2070 BC is the traditional date given in Chinese historiography, recorded here as the traditional account, not as settled fact. End YearSame historicity caveat as start-year: c. 1600 BC is the traditional end date, not a settled fact given the absence of contemporaneous records. Classification
Status (Extant or Former) Government type (class) FAQs
Did the Xia dynasty really exist?
It is disputed: Chinese archaeologists mostly link it to the Erlitou culture, while many Western scholars call it legendary or unproven.
Historians disagree. The Xia is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography, but there are no contemporaneous records of it, and it is not mentioned in the oldest Chinese texts. Some scholars, especially Western historians and Sinologists, consider it legendary or at least unsubstantiated. A majority of Chinese archaeologists consider it historical and identify it with the Erlitou culture, dated to about 1900 to 1500 BC. The dates usually given, 2070 to 1600 BC, come from the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project that the Chinese government commissioned in 1996.
Connections
In Era
Source Wikipedia: Xia dynasty
Succeeded By
Why this is disputed. Recorded per traditional Chinese historiography; the Xia dynasty's own historical existence is contested (see its own start-year StatusNote).
Source Wikipedia: Xia dynasty
In the Other Atlases
Government Type
Also in Society and Culture Atlas: the government type of this subject.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Xia dynasty
WikipediaIntroduction, infobox
There are no contemporaneous records of the Xia, and they are not mentioned in the oldest Chinese texts.
Infobox
Government: Monarchy
Xia dynasty: Status
Tradition holds that the dynasty ended when its final king, Jie, was overthrown by Tang, who founded the succeeding Shang dynasty.
- Succeeded By: Shang dynasty
In Era: The Ancient Near East and Bronze Age World, lead paragraph and infobox, existence dates
The Xia dynasty (, ; ) is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. Some scholars, especially Western historians and Sinologists,
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