Sacred-political center of Zhou in Qizhou 1095-771 BC

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Abstract

The relevance of the topic of thе study is due to the fact that in the history of the Western Zhou state (1027-771 BC), there were three simultaneous capital centers of the state, the functions of which were not of sufficient interest to researchers of Ancient China. The purpose of the study is to identify the functions of one of these centers - Qizhou, which appeared before the founding of the Western Zhou state and existed until the end of the Western Zhou era. In the process of identifying the functions of the metropolitan center, the author also turned to the problem of finding analogues of the territory under research. Consideration of archaeological materials from the monuments of the center of Qizhou made it possible to propose a new term to define such a territory - a sacred-political center. Based on the method of historical and archaeological description, the author concluded that there were two large zones in Qizhou, the first of which was a vast settlement with palace and temple areas, workshops for the manufacture of products from stone, bone, clay, burials ordinary community members and nobility of different levels, etc. The second zone is the cult space of the royal Ji dynasty, where palace and temple complexes and burials of the Vans, female relatives and other persons associated with the family are located.

About the authors

Mariya V. Efimenko

National Research University - Higher School of Economics

Author for correspondence.
Email: mefimenko@hse.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4168-0183
SPIN-code: 7159-9678

Lecturer at the School of Asian Studies, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

21 Staraya Basmannaya st, bldg. 4, Moscow, 105006, Russian Federation

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Copyright (c) 2025 Efimenko M.V.

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