Sources of Western Zhou History

Inscribed Bronze Vessels

Edward L. Shaughnessy

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 1992
• Print ISBN:
  9780520070288
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780520910225
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Ancient History
• Index: Social Sciences

The thousands of ritual bronze vessels discovered by China's archaeologists serve as the major documentary source for the Western Zhou dynasty (1045-771 B.C.). These vessels contain long inscriptions full of detail on subjects as diverse as the military history of the period, the bureaucratic structure of the royal court, and lawsuits among the gentry. Moreover, being cast in bronze, the inscriptions preserve exactly the contemporary script and language.

Shaughnessy has written a meticulous and detailed work on the historiography and interpretation of these objects. By demonstrating how the inscriptions are read and interpreted, Shaughnessy makes accessible in English some of the most important evidence about life in ancient China.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Preface
• Proposed Chronology of the Western Zhou Dynasty
• Introduction
• CHAPTER 1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF BRONZE INSCRIPTION STUDIES
• CHAPTER 2 THE CASTING OF AN INSCRIBED BRONZE VESSEL, WITH REMARKS ON THE QUESTION OF AUTHENTICITY
• CHAPTER 3 HOW TO READ A WESTERN ZHOU BRONZE INSCRIPTION
• CHAPTER 4 THE PERIODIZATION OF INSCRIBED WESTERN ZHOU BRONZE VESSELS
• CHAPTER 5 FURTHER HISTORIOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONS REGARDING INSCRIBED WESTERN ZHOU BRONZE VESSELS
• APPENDIX 1 Textual Notes to the Translation of the Inscription on the "Shi Qiang Pan"
• APPENDIX 2 The "Ling Yi" and the Question of the Kang Gong
• APPENDIX 3 The Absolute Chronology of the Western Zhou Dynasty
• BIBLIOGRAPHY A: Major Catalogs of Inscribed Western Zhou Bronze Vessels
• BIBLIOGRAPHY B: Works Cited
• Finding List of Inscribed Bronze Vessels Cited
• Index