Chinese dynasties: Did you mean...?

Search

Search Results

Sima Qian
Definition by Joshua J. Mark

Sima Qian

Sima Qian (l. 145/135-86 BCE) was a court scribe, astrologer, and historian of the Han Dynasty (202 BCE - 220 CE) of ancient China, famous for his historical work Records of the Grand Historian for which he is remembered as the Father of...
The Dragon in Ancient China
Article by Mark Cartwright

The Dragon in Ancient China

Dragons appear in the mythology of many ancient cultures but nowhere else in the world was the creature quite so revered as in China. There, in marked contrast to other world mythologies, the dragon was almost always seen in a positive light...
Dogs in Ancient China
Article by Joshua J. Mark

Dogs in Ancient China

Dogs are the oldest domesticated animal in China and were bred as guardians, for transporting goods, for herding, hunting, and as a food source. Archaeological evidence dates the domestication of the dog in China at approximately 15,000 years...
First Intermediate Period of Egypt
Definition by Joshua J. Mark

First Intermediate Period of Egypt

The First Intermediate Period of Egypt (2181-2040 BCE) is the era which followed the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE) and preceded the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE) periods of Egyptian history. The name was given to the era by 19th-century...
Rubin Museum's Faith and Empire: Tibetan Buddhist Art
Interview by James Blake Wiener

Rubin Museum's Faith and Empire: Tibetan Buddhist Art

Faith and Empire: Art and Politics in Tibetan Buddhism, a new exhibition at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York, explores the dynamic historical intersection of politics, religion, and art as reflected through Tibetan Buddhism. The exhibition...
Zheng Yi Sao
Definition by Mark Cartwright

Zheng Yi Sao

Zheng Yi Sao (aka Ching Shih, Cheng I Sao, Ching Yih Saou or Mrs Cheng, d. 1844) was the chief of a massive pirate confederation which plundered the South China Sea in the early 19th century. She inherited the role from her late husband...
Ming Dynasty
Definition by Mark Cartwright

Ming Dynasty

The imperial Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644. It replaced the Mongol Yuan dynasty which had been in power since the 13th century. Despite challenges from abroad and within, the Ming dynasty oversaw an unprecedented growth in China's...
Oracle Bones
Definition by Emily Mark

Oracle Bones

Oracle Bones (also known as Dragon's Bones) were the shoulder blades of oxen or plastrons of turtles (the flat underside of the turtle's shell) which were used in the Shang Dynasty of China (c. 1600-1046 BCE) for divination. The symbols carved...
Mulan: The Legend Through History
Article by Joshua J. Mark

Mulan: The Legend Through History

Mulan (“magnolia”) is a legendary character in Chinese literature who is best known in the modern day from the Disney filmed adaptations (1998, 2020). Her story, however, about a young girl who takes her father's place in the army to help...
Religion in Ancient China
Article by Emily Mark

Religion in Ancient China

Religious practices in ancient China go back over 7,000 years. Long before the philosophical and spiritual teachings of Confucius and Lao-Tzu developed or before the teachings of the Buddha came to China, the people worshipped personifications...
Membership