Overview

This monograph presents the first thorough study of the bronzes from south-central China. The finds from the Yangtze areas have conventionally been thought to have been entirely inspired by Shang traditions and ritual practices in Henan. This monograph applies the perspective of materiality to argue otherwise. Through investigations of three main bronze types: ritual vessels, bells and weapons, the author suggests that the Yangtze societies were far more independent from the Shang traditions than most archaeologists have understood them to have been.

Full Product Details

Author:   Celine Y. Y. Lai
Publisher:   BAR Publishing
Imprint:   BAR Publishing
Weight:   0.510kg
ISBN:  

9781407316055

ISBN 10:   1407316052
Pages:   128
Publication Date:   28 January 2019
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures List of Tables List of Maps 1. Introduction 'China' during the Second Millennium BC Scope and Chronology The Yellow River Valleys The Shang The upper stream of the Shang territory The Shang's outlying sites? The South Hanzhong Anhui The Mid-Yangtze Regions Jiangxi and Wucheng culture Hunan The Upper Yangtze Region: Sichuan and Sanxingdui Culture Web of Connections Arguments from Earlier Scholars Aims of the Book Methodology Work Synopsis 2. Case Study I: Bronze Ritual Vessels The Shang Bronze Vessels Taotie, Motifs of an Imagined Animal Face Sets The Ritual Vessels Found in the Tombs in Henan Southern China Panlongcheng Anhui The Large Numbers of Zun, Lei, Pou, and You in Hanzhong, Hunan, and Sanxingdui Xin'gan Dayangzou Three Levels: Southern Vessels Re-examined Level I: Physical Resemblance Level II: Social Ranks Level III: Conceptual Differences Southern Contributions 3. Case Study II: Bronze Nao Bells Northern Nao The Origins of Bronze Nao Hypothetical Forerunners of the Nao: Zhengzhou Prototypes versus Clapper-Bell Ancestors Transition from Signaling to Musical Bells Southern Nao and Ritual Culture Type One: Xin'gan Nao Type Two: Xiang River Nao The Musical Tones of Nao and the Notion of a Bell Set The Musical Set from Ningxiang Laoliangcang Shiguzai The Thirty-Six Bosses Yongzhong Reconsidering Bronze Bells Using Rawson's Three Level Model Physical Comparisons and Reversed Contribution from South to North The Social and Ritual Significance of Bells in the Southern and Zhou Contexts 4. Case Study III: Bronze Weapons The Neolithic Origins of Ceremonial Weapons Liangzhu Societies and Axes Longshan Culture and the Zhang The Early Bronze-Casting Societies: The Erlitou and Erligang Periods The Weapons Found in the Tombs at Anyang Bronzes and Rituals in the Society at Xin'gan The Ceremonial Blades from Sanxingdui Reconsidering Bronze and Jade Weapons in the Scheme of Three Levels Shared Types, Contrasting Practices Social Changes at the End of the Anyang Period Ideas about Weaponry in Other Societies 5. Conclusion Bibliography

Reviews

'Both in Chinese and English, work that takes this holistic approach is very rare, and the author should be commended for her efforts.' Prof. Dame Jessica Rawson, Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology, University of Oxford 'This is an important contribution, as it throws new light on Bronze Age China, especially cultural interactions between several major bronze-using centres during the late Shang period.' Professor Jianjun Mei, Director of the Needham Research Institute, University of Cambridge

'Both in Chinese and English, work that takes this holistic approach is very rare, and the author should be commended for her efforts.' Prof. Dame Jessica Rawson, Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology, University of Oxford 'This is an important contribution, as it throws new light on Bronze Age China, especially cultural interactions between several major bronze-using centres during the late Shang period.' Professor Jianjun Mei, Director of the Needham Research Institute, University of Cambridge

'Both in Chinese and English, work that takes this holistic approach is very rare, and the author should be commended for her efforts.' Prof. Dame Jessica Rawson, Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology, University of Oxford 'This is an important contribution, as it throws new light on Bronze Age China, especially cultural interactions between several major bronze-using centres during the late Shang period.' Professor Jianjun Mei, Director of the Needham Research Institute, University of Cambridge

'Both in Chinese and English, work that takes this holistic approach is very rare, and the author should be commended for her efforts.'  Prof. Dame Jessica Rawson, Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology, University of Oxford   'This is an important contribution, as it throws new light on Bronze Age China, especially cultural interactions between several major bronze-using centres during the late Shang period.'  Professor Jianjun Mei, Director of the Needham Research Institute, University of Cambridge    

Author Information

Celine Lai is Associate Professor in the School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University. Her research interests cover Early China, Bronze Age Archaeology and museum display and interpretation. Every year since 2014 she has been holding a conference on Chinese Archaeology, hoping to establish a regular platform for academics to exchange new finds and research.

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