从古文献与考古资料看夏文化的起始年代

古代文献记载，氏族社会末期，黄河中下游地区曾发生过一场持续时间较长的洪水。这场洪水最后由大禹治服，为其子启建立夏王朝奠定了基础。考察这场洪水结束的时间，对确定夏王朝建立的年代有着重要的意义。从黄河中下游地区目前已知的龙山文化遗址分析，龙山文化时期没有发现大的文化断层。到龙山文化晚期至二里头文化时期，除豫西嵩山地区地势较高外，豫东、冀南及整个山东半岛地区龙山文化突然中断。与此同时，辉县孟庄龙山城址发现洪水冲毁城墙的现象，鲁西地区成组的龙山城址也随之消失。上述地区也都是文献记载洪水发生与淹没的地区，因此文化出现断层。而豫西嵩山周围因地势较高，使那里的人们躲过了洪水，龙山文化在继王城岗四期之后，发展成王城岗五期文化，进而形成新寨期二里头文化。所以夏文化应开始于豫中地区，以登封王城岗五期和禹县瓦店四期为代表的时期。

Beginning Time of the Xia Culture As Seen from Ancient Data and Archeological Finds

According to ancient data,at the later stages of the clan society,a flooding occurred lasting many years in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River,until it was finally harnessed by the Great Yu laying the foundation for his son,Qi,to establish the Xia dynasty.Looking into the ending years of this flooding is important for determining the beginning time of the Xia.Analyses into the Longshan Culture known to us at present have found no big cultural faults.But from the later stage of Longshan Culture to the Erlitou culture,there is a sudden cessation of Longshan Culture found in eastern Henan,southern Hebei and the entire region of Shantong.Meanwhile in the ruins of a Longshan town in Mengzhuang,Huixian,there are signs of city walls destroyed by flooding,and the Longshan towns in western Shandong disappeared with them.Those places coincide with the flooding areas in ancient data.On the other hand,the Songshan Mountains area in western Henan evaded the flooding because of its higher terrain,and therefore the Longshan Culture could develop through Wangchenggang 4th stage to 5th stage till the formation of the Erlitou Culture.In view of these facts,the Xia culture should have begun in central Henan at the time represented by Wangchenggang 5 stage (Dengfeng) and Wadian 4th stage(Yuxian).