China pre imperial. Neolítico y Edad del Bronce [Pre-imperial China. Neolithic and Bronze Age]

史前帝国时期的中国：新石器时代和青铜时代

Julio López Saco

We thus begin this 2024 by consolidating the Colección Estudios of the Biblioteca AVECH 委内瑞拉中国研究会图书馆, established in 2021 as a space to host works of greater depth and scope. On this occasion, Ph.D. López Saco presents a book entitled China pre imperial. Neolítico y Edad del Bronce [Pre-imperial China. Neolithic and Bronze Age] 史前帝国时期的中国：新石器时代和青铜时代, in which he reflects on the origin and formation of Chinese civilization, its early state organization, and political centralization, supported by the contributions of two auxiliary sciences of History: Archaeology and Anthropology, without which it would be impossible to delve into such a complex process. Comprising twelve sections, López Saco begins with the shaping of the concept of national history and civilization, before moving on to the conceptualization and analysis of the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. The chronological scope for the former spans from the 9th millennium to the mid-2nd millennium BCE, while for the latter, its development took place between 2000–1700 and up to the 3rd century BCE, with the end of the Zhou dynasty.

He also delves into writing, rituals, myths, art, traditions, and religiosity or supernatural aspects during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, a small sample of a cultural richness that fostered the process of urbanization and hierarchical social organization. Undoubtedly, this is a contribution of singular relevance in the Spanish language, concluding its pages with a set of appendixes where readers can consult the various Chinese Neolithic cultures—organized chronologically and by region—, Bronze Age archaeological sites, the evolution of archaeological cultures in shaping the origins of Chinese history, a comparative chart of Chinese characters, and three maps showing the areas occupied by the various Neolithic cultures, the geographical expanse of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and finally, Sanxingdui's connections with Neolithic sites and the Shang sphere.