<P> The dynasty was considered mythical by historians until scientific excavations found early Bronze Age sites at Erlitou, Henan in 1959 . With few clear records matching the Shang oracle bones, it remains unclear whether these sites are the remains of the Xia dynasty or of another culture from the same period . Excavations that overlap the alleged time period of the Xia indicate a type of culturally similar groupings of chiefdoms . Early markings from this period found on pottery and shells are thought to be ancestral to modern Chinese characters . </P> <P> According to ancient records, the dynasty ended around 1600 BC as a consequence of the Battle of Mingtiao . </P> <P> Archaeological findings providing evidence for the existence of the Shang dynasty, c. 1600--1046 BC, are divided into two sets . The first set, from the earlier Shang period, comes from sources at Erligang, Zhengzhou, and Shangcheng . The second set, from the later Shang or Yin (殷) period, is at Anyang, in modern - day Henan, which has been confirmed as the last of the Shang's nine capitals (c. 1300--1046 BC). The findings at Anyang include the earliest written record of Chinese past so far discovered: inscriptions of divination records in ancient Chinese writing on the bones or shells of animals--the so - called "oracle bones", dating from around 1500 BC . </P> <P> 31 kings reigned over the Shang dynasty . During their reign, according to the Records of the Grand Historian, the capital city was moved six times . The final (and most important) move was to Yin in 1350 BC which led to the dynasty's golden age . The term Yin dynasty has been synonymous with the Shang dynasty in history, although it has lately been used to refer specifically to the latter half of the Shang dynasty . </P>

Chinese civilization began in the eastern valley of the