World History 173: The Foundation of Empires
Resources for the Foundations of Empire assignment
Artifacts
The seismometer invented by Chinese engineer Zhang Heng (132 CE)
Click on image to enlarge it. For more information on the Seismometer, click HERE
Celestial Horse, 25-220 CE (Bronze with traces of polychrome)
Click on the image to enlarge it.
For more information on this piece, click HERE
Oldest paper book, Pi Yu Jing, composed of six different materials, circa 256 CE
Click on the image to enlarge it.
For more on ancient Chinese papermaking, click HERE
Burial Ensemble of Dou Wan, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Click on image to enlarge it. For more information on the item, click HERE.
For more on Han jade burial suits, click HERE
Deeper Dives
Deeper Dives
- The Supernatural Horses That Fascinated Chinese Emperors
In the second century BCE, Han Dynasty Emperor Wu so desired a herd of “blood-sweating” horses from Central Asia that he was willing to wage war over them.
Han Dynasty
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General Overviews
Society and Empire in the Han Dynasty
- Han Emperor Wu-ti's Interest in Central Asia and Chang Chien's ExpeditionsClick "more" for Wu-ti's poem about his Celestial horse and his military prowess.
- The Demographics of Dynastic China
**Focus on the Han Dynasty**
Politics & Government
- Wang Mang's Reforms & Policies
From: "Wang Mang." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 16, Gale, 2004, pp. 101-103.
Economy & Trade
Religion & Philosophy
- Who was Confucius? (4:29)
Note: Confucius did not live during the Han Dynasty, but his philosophy and vision of the state were integral to the politics of the Han Dynasty.
- Han Confucianism**Scroll to section "Han Confucianism" **
From: Dennerline, Jerry. "Confucianism." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas, edited by Maryanne Cline Horowitz, vol. 2, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005, pp. 433-440.
Technology and the Arts
- 10 Inventions From China’s Han Dynasty That Changed the World
**Note** The origin of the stirrup is contested. See https://www.thoughtco.com/invention-of-the-stirrup-195161 for more details. - Chinese Seismology (3:22)
Includes audio & transcript. See a replica of the seismometer in the Artifact gallery at the top left of this page. - model of Ancient Chinese ploughIron plow from Han Era
- Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.)
Includes photographs of artifacts. - Disk (bi) with knobs, feline, and dragon
be sure to look at the description and analysis of the artifact.
Decline & Legacy
- The Yellow Turban UprisingSite is crude looking but written and managed by historian and Sinologist Ulrich Theobald
- Thoughts on the “Repenting Edict of Luntai” by Emperor Wu of the Han DynastyAfter more than five decades on the throne, Han Wudi issued a public apology to his people for his mistakes as emperor.
Legacy
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