Panlongcheng

Panlongcheng (simplified, traditional, pinyin: Pánlóngchéng) or Panlong City is an archaeological site associated with the Erligang culture (c. 1500–1300 BCE) during the Shang dynasty period (c. 1600–1046 BCE). The site is located just north of the Yangtze river, on the bank of the Panlong lake, and is surrounded by the Fushui river in Huangpi, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Panlongcheng is the largest excavated Erligang site (1 square kilometre or 0.39 mi2 at its greatest), showing the southernmost reach of the Erligang culture at its peak. It was discovered in 1954, and excavated in 1974 and 1976. The site at Panlongcheng was sparsely inhabited during the Erlitou period (c. 1900–1500 BCE), consisting mainly of several small settlements and occupying an area of around 200,000 square metres (0.20 km2, 2, 200, 000 ft2). During the early Erligang period, the site suddenly grew rapidly, reaching an area of around 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi). The central town was 75,000 square metres (0.075 km2, 810, 000 ft2) surrounded by a hangtu, or rammed earth, wall. Inside the walls, two palaces occupying 2 hectares (20, 000 m2) were discovered. Panlongcheng may have been an Erligang outpost used to control regional resources, such as copper mines. The construction and bronze casting techniques at Panlongcheng are identical with the techniques employed at Erligang and Zhengzhou; however, the pot

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