Eastern Han Dynasty: Did you mean...?

Women in ancient China did not enjoy the status, either social or political, afforded to men. Women were subordinate to first their fathers, then their husbands, and finally, in the case of being left a widow, their sons in a system known...

The War of the Eight Princes (291-306 CE) is the conflict which weakened and finally ended the Western Jin Dynasty (266-316 CE) in China and resulted in more far-reaching consequences throughout the country. The power of the Sima family was...

The Great Wall of China is a barrier fortification in northern China running west-to-east 13,171 miles (21,196 km) from the Jiayuguan Pass (in the west) to the Hushan Mountains in Liaoning Province in the east, ending at the Bohai Gulf. It...

A lacquered box of the Eastern Han Dynasty, China. 25-220 CE. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

Ancient Chinese writing evolved from the practice of divination during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE). Some theories suggest that images and markings on pottery shards found at Ban Po Village are evidence of an early writing system but...

Daily life in ancient China changed through the centuries but reflected the values of the presence of gods and one's ancestors in almost every time period. Villages like Banpo show evidence of a matriarchal society, where there was a priestly...

A funerary garment from the Han dynasty (2nd century BCE - 2 century CE). Made from hundreds of small rectangles of jade stitched together using gold and silver wire, they were used to completely encase the body of deceased royalty. (On...

A pottery model of a watchtower, Han dynasty, 25-220 CE. Height: 86 cm. (British Museum, London)

A gilt bronze oil lamp in the form of a kneeling servant girl; her arm acts as the lamp's chimney. Han dynasty, late 2nd century BCE, from the tomb of Prince Liu Sheng and Princess Dou Wan at Mancheng. Height: 48 cm. (Hebei Museum, Shijiazhuang...

Though similar to small castings found in the provinces of Southeast China, including Guanxi, such figures have been found in royal tombs in the North and may represent tribute bearers. Han Dynasty, 206 BCE to 200 CE. From modern-day China...