New clues at Erlitou site suggest a bigger role

In 2024, that speculation was confirmed as the northeast corner of the wall in this zone was revealed. The remaining wall is about 2 meters across at its widest, and its discovery reveals for the first time the layout of the four subregional walls at the intersection of the crossroads.

"This discovery will significantly help the exploration of important issues such as the formation and development of the network-style layout of Erlitou urban centers, the content, characteristics and relationships of each subregion," Zhao explains.

"The strict and orderly multigrid layout of the city indicates the existence of a mature and developed system of governance and institutions at the time," he adds. "It's a key indicator for determining the transition of the city of Erlitou into a dynastic state."

Similar walled blocks, known as lifang, are noticeable elements of urban layout in the later history of China, particularly in the then capital of Chang'an (present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi province) during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) period, over 2,000 years after Erlitou.

"Each walled area corresponded to a unit of daily life with various functions," Wang Wei, a veteran archaeologist with CASS, says. "New findings at Erlitou could indicate this was the prototype of such structures."

According to Lei Xingshan, an archaeology professor at Beijing Union University, "it's also crucial inspiration for other prehistoric city ruins elsewhere in China".

"Such multigrid urban layouts could be a benchmark for conducting other studies throughout a lineage," Lei says.