Transcript HSA-13 - Harvard University

HSA-13
ORIGIN STORIES
Prof. Bol’s Office Hours
have changed
• New office hours: Wednesday, 2-3:30,
and further by appointment
September 19， 2007
Historical Study A-13/History e-1825
Origin Stories
The meaning of “China” and the use of history to create meaning
“China: an artwork whose medium is history”
Locating origins in space
the north China plain, the Yellow River, the “loess” region
A. The story according to the Confucian texts of 500 BC: the “Former Kings”
The culture heroes
The sage-kings and their big ideas
Yao
Shun
Yu/Yü *
The “Three Dynasties” of Antiquity
Xia/Hsia (2200?-1700? BC)
Shang (c. 1700-1046 BC)
Zhou/Chou (1045-256 BC)
The meaning of “China” according to the texts: universal kingship, linear continuity, and a single origin
B. The story according to late 20th century archaeologists
Traditions of archaeology in China
Homo erectus (Peking Man) 1 million-200,000 years ago
Homo sapiens and the Holocene age (beginning 11,000 years ago)
China’s origins and the “Near East Diffusion” theory
Neolithic cultures
Early Neolithic
the Yangshao/Yang-shao and contemporary cultures (5000 BC)
Map 1
the Longshan/Lung-shan cultural period (3000-2000 BC) and government
Map 2
The meaning of “China” according to the artifacts: multiple origins and competing centers
* When the romanization of Chinese terms in the Pinyin and Wade-Giles systems differs both
spellings are given: first Pinyin/then Wade-Giles. (However “Peking” 北京 comes from neither WadeGiles, which romanizes the city name as "Pei-ching," nor Pinyin, which spells it “Beijing.”)
Sage Kings
• Yao
• Shun
• Yu
– Xia dynasty (“2200-1700” BC)
– Shang dynasty (1700?-1046 BC)
– Zhou dynasty (1045-256 BC)
Yangshao
culture
Map 1 –
Early
Neolithic
cultures
Map 2
Late
Neolithic
Cultures