Life and Afterlife in Ancient China

The book "Life and Afterlife in Ancient China" is a Prospect Book of the Year that explores the history of Ancient China through the prism of a dozen extraordinary tombs. It highlights the unique aspects of Chinese civilization, such as its challenging geography, infrastructure, hierarchy, written script, cuisine, material culture, and concept of the universe. The author, Jessica Rawson, examines these tombs to reveal wider political, dynastic, and cultural developments, culminating in the lavish ambition of the First Emperor's monument. The book is beautifully illustrated and provides a remarkable new perspective on one of the oldest civilizations in the world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 544 pages
Publication date: 06 July 2023
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

An epic new history of Ancient China, told through the prism of a dozen extraordinary tombs, has been awarded the Prospect Book of the Year. Spanning three millennia until the establishment of the first imperial Qin dynasty in 221 BC, this period cemented many distinctive elements of Chinese civilization that remain in place today. The challenging geography and environment, formidable infrastructure, strict hierarchy of the family, shared written script of characters, cuisine based on rice and millet, material culture of ceramics, bronze, silk, and jade, and unique concept of the universe, where ancestors coexist with the living, are all integral parts of this ancient civilization.

While written history may provide records of these early achievements, it is often through the markings on people's dwellings for the afterlife that we gain insight into their diverse and unexpected expressions. Tombs, and the treasures within them, are almost the only artifacts to survive from Ancient China, rivaling their counterparts in Ancient Egypt in scale and sophistication.

In Life and Afterlife in Ancient China, Jessica Rawson, one of the most eminent Western scholars of China, explores twelve grand tombs, each from a specific historical moment and place. Through these tombs, Rawson reveals 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 that differ greatly from our own, providing a remarkable new perspective on one of the oldest civilizations in the world.

Weight: 996g
Dimension: 166 x 242 x 38 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780241472705