Six Dynasties Civilization

Front Cover
Yale University Press, Jan 1, 2007 - History - 611 pages
The Six Dynasties, also known as the "Dark Age” of Chinese history, was a period of political disunity and conflict but also one of important developments in the arts, religion, and culture. This comprehensive and extensively illustrated book covers the material culture of the Six Dynasties, A.D. 220 to 589. Albert E. Dien, a foremost expert on the period, draws on the archaeological findings of mainland China journals as well as historical and literary sources to clarify and interpret the database of over 1,800 tombs developed for this volume.
During the Six Dynasties, the influences of non-Chinese nomads, the flourishing of Buddhism, and increasing numbers of foreign merchants in the capitals brought about widespread change. The book explores what the archaeological artifacts reveal about this era of innovation and experimentation between the Han and Tang dynasties.
 

Contents

1 THE SIX DYNASTIES
1
2 CITIES AND OUTPOSTS
15
3 ARCHITECTURE
46
4 TOMB ARCHITECTURE
76
5 THE ROYAL TOMBS
163
6 TOMB FURNISHINGS
193
7 MATERIAL CULTURE AND THE ARTS
233
8 FURNITURE
300
11 MUSIC AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
339
12 ASPECTS OF DAILY LIFE
354
13 BUDDHISM AND TAOISM
387
AFTERWORD
424
NOTES
431
GLOSSARY
513
BIBLIOGRAPHY
517
INDEX
585

9 CLOTHING
312
10 ARMOR AND WEAPONS
331

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2007)

Albert E. Dien is professor emeritus, Stanford University. He lives in Menlo Park, CA.

Bibliographic information