Life and Afterlife in Ancient China

Jessica Rawson

Penguin Books, Ltd.

An epic new history of Ancient China told through the prism of a dozen extraordinary tombs\nThe three millennia up to the establishment of the first imperial Qin dynasty in 221 BC cemented many of the distinctive elements of Chinese civilisation still in place an extraordinarily challenging geography and environment, formidable infrastructure, a society based on the strict hierarchy of the family, a shared written script of characters, a cuisine founded on rice and millet, a material culture of ceramics, bronze, silk and jade, and a unique concept of the universe, in which ancestors continue to exist alongside the living. Records of these early achievements, and their diverse and unexpected expressions, often lie not in written history, but in how people marked the end of their their dwellings for the afterlife. Tombs, and the treasures within them, are almost the only artefacts to survive from Ancient China; their scale and sophistication rivals their equivalents in Ancient Egypt.\nJessica Rawson, one of the most eminent Western scholars of China, explores twelve grand tombs - each from a specific historical moment and place - showing how they reveal wider political, dynastic and cultural developments, culminating in the lavish ambition of the First Emperor's monument, guarded by his army of terracotta warriors. Beautifully illustrated and drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries, Life and Afterlife in Ancient China illuminates a constellation of beliefs about life and death very different from our own and provides a remarkable new perspective on one of the oldest civilisations in the world.

Religion & Spirituality

Allen Lane.

Illustrated throughout, primarily in black and white. Topics include hunting, signs and emblems, ornaments, and more. Bibliography. Index. 150p. Measures 7.5x9.75 inches.

Animals in art

British Museum Publications, Ltd.

Ancient China, art and archaeology

Politics & Social Sciences

Archaeology

Published for the Trustees of

Chinese bronzes are one of the world's major art forms. Few if any other ancient cultures achieved the artistic excellence and technical virtuosity in bronze attained in China. Using a unique casting method involving multiple ceramic section moulds, the Chinese cast vessels, weapons and ornaments of great beauty and elegance. Ritual vessels, used for offerings of food and wine to the ancestors, were covered with patterns of real and mythical beasts. In a comprehensive introductory essay Jessica Rawson considers the extraordinary casting of the bronzes, their functions and the questions they pose. Her account surveys the latest excavations and research in the field. The remainder of the book catalogues over forty of the British Museum's world-famous collection of Chinese bronzes.

Chinese bronzes: Art and ritual

British Museum Press

Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections: Ancient Chinese Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections (Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections)

Arts & Photography

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Harry N.Abrams, Inc.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jessica Rawson. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Jessica Rawson