The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC

ISBN-13: 9780521470308 / Angielski / Twarda / 1999 / 1182 str.

Edward Loewe Shaughnessey

Opis

The Cambridge History of Ancient China provides a survey of the cultural, intellectual, political, and institutional developments of the pre-imperial period. The four subperiods of Shang, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States, are described on the basis of literary and material sources and the evidence of recently found manuscripts. Chapters on the prehistoric background, the growth of language, and relations with the peoples of Central Asia provide the major context of China's achievements in the 1,500 years under review. The teachings of China's early masters are set alongside what is known of the methods of astonomers, physicians and diviners. A final chapter leads the reader forward to imperial times, as described in the volumes of The Cambridge History of China.

Recenzje

'Read as a whole, this volume's advocacy of archaeological insights, combined with more traditional historical approaches, offers a truly stimulating invigoration of how we imagine the ancient world in China … A particularly fascinating chapter by Nicola Di Cosmo surveys the textual and archaeological knowledge of China's northern zone … The archaeological chapters surpass all previous accounts for their narrative cohesion and detailed references.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

Spis treści

List of maps, tables, and figures; Conventions; Abbreviations; Acknowledgments; Introduction Michael Loewe and Edward L. Shaughnessy; Calendar and chronology Edward L. Shaughnessy; The environment of ancient China David N. Keightley; 1. China on the eve of the historical period Kwang-chih Chang; 2. Language and writing William G. Boltz; 3. Shang archaeology Robert Bagley; 4. The Shang: China's first historical dynasty David N. Keightley; 5. Western Zhou history Edward L. Shaughnessy; 6. Western Zhou archaeology Jessica Rawson; 7. The waning of the Bronze Age: material culture and social developments, 770–481 BC Lothar von Falkenhausen; 8. The Spring and Autumn period Cho-yun Hsu; 9. Warring States: the political history Mark Edward Lewis; 10. The art and architecture of the Warring States period Wu Hung; 11. The classical philosophical writings David Sheperd Nivison; 12. Warring states: natural philosophy and occult thought Donald Harper; 13. The Northern Frontier in pre-Imperial China Nicola Di Cosmo; 14. The heritage left to the Empires Michael Loewe; Bibliography; Index.