By The First Age of Luoyang
Xia dynasty ca 2100-1600 BCE
Although evidence of agricultural cultivation reaches back to the 8th century BCE, when millet was first domesticated, the story of China begins when a civilization known as the Xia emerged from the mists of the Neolithic age to establish a dynastic regime around 2017 BCE. The archaeological remains unearthed at Erlitou in Yanshi County have been linked with the Xia's last capital, Zhenxun, which is now considered the earliest precursor of Luoyang .
The Erlitou site includes the remnants of a palace, which further suggests might have been the seat of power. However despite the many relics which are displayed in the Luoyang Museum,including some inscriptions, we still know very little about the Xia. Imperial historians embellished the Xia's narrative, awarding its rulers with heroic attributes, like the founder Yu the Great, whose extraordinary irrigation projects gave rise to the phrase"Da Yu controls the waters"and suggest an early recognition of the volatility of the Yellow River.
