1st Edition

Weapons in Late Shang (c.1250-1050 BCE) China Beyond Typology and Ritual

By Qin Cao Copyright 2023
256 Pages 69 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

256 Pages 69 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

256 Pages 69 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Weapons in Late Shang (c.1250-1050 BCE) China: Beyond Typology and Ritual explores the large quantities of bronze and jade weapons, such as dagger-axes, spears and arrows, found at the World Heritage site of Yinxu , the late Shang capital located near today’s Anyang city in central China. Qin Cao’s innovative research presents new insights into these weapons, moving beyond perceptions of... Read more

1 An Object Biography Approach to Shang Weapons; 2 The Shang, the Anyang Site and Weaponry; 3 The Rebirth of Late Shang Weapons in the Context of Archaeological Practices; 4 Metalwork Wear Analysis of Shang Weapons; 5 Forming Shang Weapons; 6 Providing for the Deceased: Weaponry Assemblages in Tombs and their Previous "Lives"; 7 Weapons in Late Shang Society; Chinese Glossary; Appendix E: Distribution of Weapons in Elite Tombs’ Coffins; Appendix F: An Inventory of Fuhao tomb, Huayuanzhuang M54, Guojiazhuang M160 and Xibeigang M1004; Appendix G: Tombs with Weapons from 2004 Dasikong Area and 2003-2004 Xiaomintun Area; Appendix H: Chariots with Bronze and/or Bone Weapons.

Biography

Dr Qin Cao is the Curator of Chinese collections at the Oriental Museum, Durham University. She specializes in Chinese Bronze Age archaeology and numismatics, and completed her DPhil on Chinese Shang dynasty weapons at the University of Oxford in collaboration with the British Museum (Arts and Humanities Research Council Collaborative Doctoral Awards).