Description
Book SynopsisThe Cambridge History of Ancient China provides a survey of the institutional and cultural history of pre-imperial China.
Trade Review'The Cambridge History of Ancient China bridges the gap between the earliest material evidence that has come to light through archaeological discoveries and Chinese textual sources … the present volume dedicates two chapters to each of the periods covered; one on the institutional history and the other on material culture. The results affords a far more comprehensive view of ancient China than a 'primary sources' approach could have yielded … Whether consulted as a reference or read continuously; the wealth of material in the present volume will be relevant not only to scholars and students, but to the general reading public interested in that cultural melting-pot which is China.' History Today
'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
Table of ContentsList 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.
