夏朝

The Xia is traditionally dated c. 2070-1600 BCE, founded by 大禹 (Yu the Great) after he tamed the floods, and ended by 商汤 who overthrew the last Xia king 桀. Archaeologically it's still contested: the Erlitou (二里头) site in Henan is the strongest candidate for a Xia capital, but no contemporaneous writing has been found to confirm.

Xia, Shang, Zhou (夏商周) form the traditional opening trio of Chinese dynasties taught in every textbook. The modern phrase '从夏朝开始' ('since the Xia dynasty') is shorthand for 'from the very beginning of Chinese history'.