State of E 鄂 | |||||||||||||
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c. 12th century BCE–863 BCE | |||||||||||||
Status | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
Capital | Xiangning County Nanyang, Henan Province Ezhou, Hubei Province | ||||||||||||
Religion | Chinese folk religion, Ancestor worship | ||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||
• Established | c. 12th century BCE | ||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 863 BCE | ||||||||||||
Currency | Spade money | ||||||||||||
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The State of E (IPA: /ɤ̂/), whose Middle and Old Chinese name has been reconstructed as Ngak (IPA: /ŋˤak/),[1] was an ancient Chinese state in the area of present-day Henan and Hubei in China from around the 12th century BCE until its overthrow in 863 BCE. It was a vassal of the Shang state and its ruler was one of the Three Ducal Ministers appointed by Dixin of Shang, who is known pejoratively as King Zhou of Shang.[2]
E was originally located in the southern part of the modern province of Henan[3] but later moved to Hubei. Its name is now used as the provincial abbreviation for Hubei.