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Classical Historiography for Chinese History

Research guide for Chinese Historiography

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  • Allen, Sarah. The Heir and the Sage: Dynastic Legend in Early China. S.F.: Chinese Materials Center, 1981.
  • Andersson, John Gunnar. Children of the Yellow Earth: Studies in Prehistoric China. New York: Macmillan, 1934,
  • Barnes, Gina L. The Rise of Civilization in East Asia: The Archaeology of China, Korea and Japan. London: Thames and Hudson, 1999.
  • Bodde, Derk. "Myths of Ancient China." In Samuel N. Kramer, ed. Mythologies of the Ancient World. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1961; paperback ed. Garden City, New York: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1961, pp. 369-408.
  • Chang, Kwang-chih. The Archaeology of Ancient China. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1963. 4th edition, 1986.
  • ---. Art, Myth, and Ritual: The Path To Political Authority in Ancient China. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983.
  • Cheng, Tei K'un. , Archaeology in China. Vol. I: Prehistoric China. Cambridge, England: Heffer, 1959.
  • Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: Norton, 1997, 1999. Extremely useful for global prehistory up to 10,000 B.C.
  • Karlgren, Bernhard. "Legends and Culture in Ancient China," BMFEA, 18 (1946): 199-367.
  • Liu, Li, The Chinese Neolithic: Trajectories to Early States. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
  • Liu, Li. "'The Products of Minds as Well as of Hands': Production of Prestige Goods in the Neolithic and Early State Periods of China." Asian Perspectives Volume 42 Number 1 Spring 2003.
  • Puett, Michael. To Become a God: Cosmology, Sacrifice, and Self-Divinization in Early China. Cambridge: Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series, 2002; 2004.
  • McGovern, Patrick E. et al. "Chemical Identification and Cultural Implications of a Mixed Fermented Beverage from Late Prehistoric China." Asian Perspectives Volume 44, Number 2, Fall 2005
  • Mei, Jianjun. Copper and Bronze Metallurgy in Late Prehistoric Xinjiang: Its Cultural Context and Relationship with Neighboring Regions. BAR International Series 865. Oxford: Archaeopress. 2000
  • Miyajima, Hiroshi. "The Emergence of Peasant Societies in East Asia." International Journal of Asian Studies Jan 2005 Vol. 2, Iss. 1: 1-24
  • Sheldon, John. "The Ethnic Identity of the Mummies Found in the Tarim Basin." Asian Ethnicity Vol. 5 Issue 1 February 2004: 121-128.
  • Watson, William. Archaeology in China. London: Parrish, 1960. Also covers Shang, Chou, and Han dynasties.
  • ---. Early Civilization in China. New York: McGraw Hill, 1966.
 
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