Writing and the Ancient State
Early China in Comparative Perspective
$91.99 (C)
- Author: Haicheng Wang, University of Washington
- Date Published: May 2014
- availability: In stock
- format: Hardback
- isbn: 9781107028128
$
91.99
(C)
Hardback
Other available formats:
eBook
Looking for an examination copy?
This title is not currently available for examination. However, if you are interested in the title for your course we can consider offering an examination copy. To register your interest please contact collegesales@cambridge.org providing details of the course you are teaching.
-
Writing and the Ancient State explores the early development of writing and its relationship to the growth of political structures. The first part of the book focuses on the contribution of writing to the state's legitimating project. The second part deals with the state's use of writing in administration, analyzing both textual and archaeological evidence to reconstruct how the state used bookkeeping to allocate land, police its people, and extract taxes from them. The third part focuses on education, the state's system for replenishing its staff of scribe-officials. The first half of each part surveys evidence from Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Maya lowlands, Central Mexico, and the Andes; against this background the second half examines the evidence from China. The chief aim of this book is to shed new light on early China (from the second millennium BC through the end of the Han period, ca. 220 AD) while bringing to bear the lens of cross-cultural analysis on each of the civilizations under discussion. The compiling of lists – lists of names, or of names and numbers – is a recurring theme throughout all three parts. A concluding chapter argues that there is nothing accidental about the pervasiveness of this theme: in both origin and function, early writing is almost synonymous with the listing of names.
Read more- Side-by-side comparisons and a global perspective make this a far-reaching study
- Vividly illustrated with over 100 images and a color insert
- Imaginative scenarios for the invention of writing bring the story to life for both the specialist and the student
Customer reviews
Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review
Review was not posted due to profanity
×Product details
- Date Published: May 2014
- format: Hardback
- isbn: 9781107028128
- length: 427 pages
- dimensions: 261 x 186 x 25 mm
- weight: 1.1kg
- contains: 69 b/w illus. 26 colour illus. 15 maps
- availability: In stock
Table of Contents
Part I. Writing and the Legitimation of the State: History as King List:
1. The Near East and the Americas
2. China
Part II. Writing and the Wealth of the State: People and Land, Census and Land Register:
3. The Near East and the Americas
4. China
Part III. Writing and the Perpetuation of the State: Scribal Education, Lexical Lists, and Literature:
5. The Near East and the Americas
6. China
Part IV. Conclusion.
Sorry, this resource is locked
Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email lecturers@cambridge.org
Register Sign in» Proceed
You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.
Continue ×Are you sure you want to delete your account?
This cannot be undone.
Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.
If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.
×