Territoriality and state power: The “Southern Land” and the trifurcation of the early Western Zhou state

This research intends to re-conceptualize the territoriality of the early Western Zhou state. Instead of viewing the Western Zhou as a bifurcated territory consisting of the Royal Domain and the eastern territories controlled by regional states superimposed by the Zhou court, this research presents the Western Zhou as a state applying varying degrees of control to the lands during its expansion history. By analyzing the origin and nature of the states in the “Southern Land,” this research argues for the conceptual separation of the region from the rest of the dynastic territories. It also redefines the “Southern Land” as a "jimi" territory over which the Zhou dynasty maintained hegemonic control through indigenous governing structures. The territoriality of the early Western Zhou dynasty should thus be re-conceptualized as a trifurcated system with differing modes of control according to the geographical particularity of the conquered lands. Copyright © 2018 Society for East Asian Archaeology.