ARCH 112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Sima Qian, Qin Shi Huang, Terracotta Army
27 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Early Chinese Civilization
Agriculture developed independently--millet and rice
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Early farming villages
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Lung-shan Culture
Located in the Yellow River Valley
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By about 5000 years ago, this culture shows evidence of emerging
complexity including elite rulers and monumental architecture such
as stamped earth walls
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Construction method--hang-t'u (build buildings, tombs…)
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Shang Civilization - The first historic, urban civilization in northern
China--not the first social civilizations, just the first urban civilization
Very stratified
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Shang Bronze Work--very well known for their bronze work (Shang
dynasty perfected the bronze vessels)
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Writing - Shang oracle bones
The writing wasn’t used for economic transactions but more
for a form of telling the future
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Scapulimancy- a process of divining the future in which the
scapulae of animals are burned. The pattern of breakage is
"read" by a diviner--oxen, turtle shells,…, perishable materials
(unlikely to preserve)
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Images of Shang royal burials located near Anyang, China
Status difference is through burials
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Higher graves are lavishly furnished--they had sacrificial victims with
them
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The Terracotta Army (not a Shang Dynasty, a Ying Dynasty)
Terracotta baked clay
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In 221 B.C. Ying Zheng (Qin Shihuang) unified China
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Standardized currency, weights and measures, standardized written
language
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Made a large networks of roads
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Joined separate walls he created 300 km (early form of the Great
Wall)
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Qin Shihuang - China’s first emperor. Ruler of the Qin dynasty.
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His burial site is one of the most recognizable archaeological sites
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36 years to build, 700000 men to build his tomb
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Sima Qian--
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Terracotta army
Located at Xi'an, China
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These terracotta sculptures are part of Qin Shihuang's burial
complex
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There are about 8,000 life size soldiers****
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Around 300 life-sized horses
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They weren't the same--all had different features and clothing
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Civilization of Ancient China (pg. 414-423)
Monday, November 20, 2017
11:23 AM
Document Summary
By about 5000 years ago, this culture shows evidence of emerging complexity including elite rulers and monumental architecture such as stamped earth walls. Shang civilization - the first historic, urban civilization in northern. China--not the first social civilizations, just the first urban civilization. Shang bronze work--very well known for their bronze work (shang dynasty perfected the bronze vessels) The writing wasn"t used for economic transactions but more for a form of telling the future. Scapulimancy- a process of divining the future in which the scapulae of animals are burned. read by a diviner--oxen, turtle shells, , perishable materials (unlikely to preserve) Images of shang royal burials located near anyang, china. Higher graves are lavishly furnished--they had sacrificial victims with them. The terracotta army (not a shang dynasty, a ying dynasty) Standardized currency, weights and measures, standardized written language. Joined separate walls he created 300 km (early form of the great.
