 |
The Han Dynasty 206 BCE-220CE
Tomb of the Marquis of Dai (Lady Dai) c 180 BCE |
| Years | Period | China | World |
| c1700-221 BCE | Bronze Age
Warring States Period Shang dynasty; Chou (Zhou) dynasty |
Shang dynasty;
Chou (Zhou) dynasty development of writing bronze casting Confucius Lao Tzu, Mozi Iron Tools |
Code of Hammurabi
Olmec in America Golden Age of Perikles Parthenon Rome Begins |
| c221- 206 BCE | Qin (Chin) dynasty | Unification
Centralized Bureaucracy standardized money, written language, Clay figures, Great Wall |
Rome Begins |
| 206 BCE-220CE | Han dynasty | Jade Suit
Silk Road Daoism Confuciunism made state philosophy Buddhism Introduced |
Pantheon
Colosseum Rise of Christianity |
| 220 - 579 CE | Six Dynasties
Sung, North, East and West Wei, Liang, Chen, Chi Chou |
Nomad Invasions,
Buddhism Grows Rock Cut Caves Monumental Buddhas |
Birth of Muhammad
Edict of Milan Hagia Sofia Separation of Churches |
| 568 - 617 CE | Sui | Reunification of China | |
| 618-907 | Tang dynasty | Repression of Buddhism |
|
The Han Dynasty 206 BCE-220CE
Tomb of the Marquis of Dai (Lady Dai) c 180 BCE |
Four Coffins (fourth not shown)
 |
"Plagued by a series of parasites and suffering from coronary thrombosis and arteriosclerosis, the obese noblewoman was further incapable of normal locomotion, the result of acute back pain initiated by a fused spinal disc (exposed via X-rays). Clogged arteries culminated in a profoundly damaged heart, ironically paralleling the contemporary health crisis of mass obesity fueled by economic plentitude, caloric overindulgence and lack of exercise. Gallstones further taxed Xin Zhui’s badly overburdened physiology; one of these abnormal masses of biliary calculus, according to expert medical consensus, lodged in her bile duct, aggravating an already precarious circulatory condition, and likely induced a colossal heart attack." - The Last Feast of Lady Dai by Julie Rauer, |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Zhou Bi Disk c500-400 BCE jade 6.5" |
Han 206-220 BCE Bi Disk jade (nephrite) 12" |
What did Confucius say about jade?
Confucius- (Con-fu-tzu)
(translation means: great thinker
and teacher)
A disciple asked Confucius, saying, "Why, sir, does the superior man value jade much more highly than serpentine? Is it because jade is scarce and serpentine abundant?"
"It is not," replied Confucius;
"but it is because of the superior men of olden days regarded it as a symbol
of the virtues. Its gentle, smooth, glossy appearance suggests charity
of the heart; its fine close texture and hardness suggests wisdom;
it is firm and yet does not wound, suggesting duty to one's neighbor;
it hangs down as though sinking, suggesting ceremony; struck,
it gives a clear note, long drawn out, dying gradually away and suggesting
music;
its flaws do not hide its excellences, nor do its excellences hide its
flaws, suggesting loyalty; it gains our confidence, suggesting
truth;
its spirituality is like the bright rainbow, suggesting the heavens above;
its energy is manifested in hill and stream, suggesting the earth below;
as articles of regalia it suggests the exemplification of that than there
is nothing in the world of equal value, and thereby is-TAO itself.
 |
Tomb of Han prince Liu Sheng, Mancheng, China, before 113 BCE. |
 |
Jade burial suit with gold thread, tomb of Han prince
Liu Sheng, Mancheng, China, before 113 BCE.
Han Jade Suit Tomb of Liu Sui c200BCE.jpg |
 |
 |
 |