Xia dynasty (Erlitou Culture period)

Height: 23.5 cm

Mouth length：9 cm, width: 6 cm

unearthed at Erlitou, Yanshi county, Jan. 01, 1963

Handmade with white clay, this vessel features a wide mouth, short sport, deep belly raised on three cone-shaped legs, a semicircle band-like handle connecting the mouth rim and the leg. Being a water container, he vessel was for containing water which is used for mixing with wine to control the density in a feast. In Shang and Zhou period, he was mostly used along with the pan vessel, thus indicating that he was also used for cleaning and washing purposes.

Erlitou site boasts the largest scale palace compounds, the earliest bronze ritual wares’ assemblage, the earliest bronze-casting workshop, it is identified to be the earliest imperial capital ruin in China, with great significance of studying on the major issues, such as origin of Chinese civilization, rise of state, begin of city, and construction of capital, etc.