A Study of the Social Situation in the Middle Bronze Age in the Upper Yili River 伊犁河上游青铜时代中期社会状况研究

In the middle of the Bronze Age, the Jirentaigoukou central settlement with large tombs and the remains of large houses appeared in the upper reaches of the Ili River with its different levels of settlements and regional social organizations represented by tombs. It is speculated that the settlement had entered a complex social stage similar to “chiefdom” or “ancient country”. A good natural environment, a business model combining agriculture and animal husbandry, and a developed bronze smelting and casting industry should all be important factors driving the social complexity of the upper reaches of the Ili River, especially for the occupation of copper resources and the existence of bronze smelting and casting industry. This is the key reason why the people in the upper reaches of the Ili River stand out among the many grassland animal herders. Therefore, the process of social complexity in the upper reaches of the Ili River has its own characteristics.