Erlitou: The origin of the tradition of non-fortified primary capitals in early China

This paper reviews and assesses traits and concepts related to “non-fortified primary capitals” within China and evaluates its two thousand year history in the development of Chinese ancient capitals from its origins in the Erlitou (二里头) period to the Eastern Han Dynasty. Non-fortified primary capitals are defined by urban plans that include a walled palatial area with an extensive outer-city sphere (gongcheng 宫城 + guoqu 郭区). Through an analysis of the urban layout and settlement patterns of the Erlitou site, I argue that the practice of building non-fortified capitals began during this time due to the declining need for peripheral fortifications. Large competing polities that once flourished in the Central Plain during the Longshan period gradually declined at approximately 1800 BCE, and did not represent a military threat or direct competition to the powerful centralized state at Erlitou.