The Analysis of the Liangzhu Culture Based on Jade Artifacts and Architecture
Abstract
The Liangzhu culture was mainly distributed in the Taihu Lake basin and was one of China's important civilizations of the Neolithic Age. Its core area is in the ancient city of Liangzhu in Pingyao Township, Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. With the archaeological excavations of the Liangzhu culture, there have been many speculations about the social structure of the Liangzhu culture. Previous research generally believed that the Liangzhu culture was an alliance of villages within a particular area and that the ruling class in the political center did not have excessive control over other village owners. This article will further explore the possible social structure based on past research on the social structure of the Liangzhu culture. By studying the villages and water conservancy facilities within the Liangzhu culture, this article argues that a power core may have dominated the culture, and its ruling class had specific resource control and administrative rights over the villages within its jurisdiction.
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