2. The age of the mythical Xia dynasty

(Traditionally from 2070 BC to 1600 BC).

– Meanwhile:

Middle East: the period of the Old Babylonian Empire, the reign of Hammurabi

Mediterranean region: the golden age of Cretan civilisation

Carpathian Basin: the Middle Bronze Age

According to Chinese tradition, the first Chinese dynasty was the Xia dynasty. However, the authenticity of this information has not yet been confirmed either historically or archaeologically. It is not mentioned in the earliest Chinese sources that can be considered authentic, it only appears later. Its first emperor, Yu, is said to have been a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and to have been the first to control one of China’s most important rivers, the Yellow River, the Huang He.

Excavations in Honan Province since the 1960s have unearthed the remains of a culture dating to this period, known as the Erlitou culture, and some researchers believe that this culture, which shows advanced signs of urbanisation, may be linked to the legendary Xia dynasty.