Neil D. Bramwell - Discover Ancient China

CIVILIZATIONS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

Ancient civilizations have always been a source of fascination. From the first farmers of Mesopotamia, to ancient China, the world's oldest continuing civilization, to Egypt's breathtaking pyramids, to Cyrus the Great of Persia who set up one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, through the glories of Greece and the rise and fall of Rome, each civilization has left behind stories and secrets for those who have followed. The books in the Discover Ancient Civilizations series explore the lands, people, cultures, and conquests of ancient China, Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamian, Persia, and Rome.

About the Author

Neil D. Bramwell practiced law for almost thirty years and taught law at Fordham Law School in the Bronx. Aside from his work on the Discover Ancient Civilizations and the Presidents series for Enslow Publishers, Inc., he has also published a mystery novel.

In Xian, a city in the Shaanxi province of northwestern China, thousands of soldiers, perhaps more than seven thousand, stand in formation in three underground pits. They are ready to defend their emperor, whose body lies entombed nearby, from any enemy. They have remained in formation, ready for battle, for over two thousand years. The soldiers are 8 inches to 6 feet 2.5 inches tall, and are made of terra-cotta, a form of baked clay. Each soldiers features are unique to him. Their weapons, longbows, spears, battle-axes, and halberds, which combine a spear and a battle-ax, are stored nearby. These soldiers are known as the terra-cotta warriors, and the 14,000-square-foot museum where they reside is one of Chinas most-visited cultural sites.

The soldiers are arrayed in formations according to their function in battle, ready to ward off attackers from any direction. Some soldiers are in kneeling positions while others are standing. There are also seventy-four full-size chariots, drawn by four horses each, in which other soldiers or officers ride. There are, as well, nearly six hundred life-size Mongolian ponies.

Each soldier wears a uniform whose color corresponds to his rank. The colors are purple, blue, green, yellow, red, and orange. The uniforms range from heavy knee-length tunics and cloth leg wrappings to armor made from hundreds of pieces of iron shaped like fish scales.

The emperors tomb that these soldiers have been guarding for over two thousand years took over thirty years to build and is located west of the burial chambers of the army. The tomb itself has not yet been excavated, but according to legend, it is supposed to be a replica of his empire, with rivers of quicksilver (mercury) and many marvels, including death traps for any tomb robbers.

The terra-cotta warriors who have been guarding the tomb of Emperor Shi Huangdi were discovered in 1974 by Chinese farmers who were drilling a well.

Shi Huangdi (Qin Shi Huang), the emperor who had this army buried to protect himself for all time, founded the first empire of China in 221 B.C. His conquests united the many states that had fought each other for years in China. He called himself August Sovereign, the name that all emperors of China used afterward. He was the founder of the Qin dynasty. Dynasties are periods of rule by members of the same family, and most of Chinas long history is divided into dynasties, beginning in about 1994 B.C. with the Xia dynasty and lasting until A.D. 1911, with the end of the Qing dynasty. The political system of the three earliest dynasties, the Xia, Shang, and Zhou, was a feudal system. The dynasties that followed, beginning with the Qin, were centralized empires.

China is the birthplace of the worlds oldest continuous civilization, with a written history that began 3,500 years ago. Humans have lived in what is now China long before history was recorded Archaeological evidence shows that humans who made tools were living in China at least twelve thousand years ago. They lived in dwellings dug into the earth and roofed over. Pigs and dogs had been domesticated and pottery making had been learned.

By 2205 B.C., China consisted of a number of small states that, according to tradition, were conquered and united by the Xia dynasty (1994 to 1523 B.C.). From that dynasty until A.D. 1911, the history of China tells of the rise and fall of dynasties. The first historical dynasty, the Shang dynasty, dates from 1523 to 1027 B.C.

The Shang kings were powerful rulers, with great armies at their command. They could send from three thousand to five thousand soldiers into battle at a time. The soldiers in these armies used bronze weapons that included a complex bow and arrow and a halberd. The army was driven to the scene of battle by chariots and would then dismount to begin fighting.

The Shang dynasty was overthrown by the Zhou dynasty, whose rule lasted from 1027 to 221 B.C. Under the Zhou dynasty, the government extended its control into north and south China by conquest and planned settlements. In the later period of Zhou rule, the central governments control became less strong. This period, known as the Spring and Autumn period, saw the growth of independent states. These states paid only a small allegiance to the central government.

An array of reproduced weapons on the Great Wall of China. Soldiers in the armies of the Shang kings used bronze weapons.

By 475 B.C., the independent states began fighting each other so often that the period from 475 to 221 has come to be called the Warring States period. Its end also marked the end of the Zhou dynasty. Warfare was waged with the composite bow, whose arrows were made with bronze or clay points. Other weapons used during this period of warfare included bronze spears, battle-axes, and halberds.

In 221 B.C., peace was restored to the empire when China became united under the Qin dynasty and the First Emperor. During the Qin dynasty, The achievements of the Qin are numerous. During the Qin dynasty, the language and writing of China was standardized, and the vast empire was united by a vast system of roads and canals.

The powerful Qin dynasty lasted for only fifteen years.

Despite its lasting influence, the Qin dynasty ruled for only fifteen years. This dynasty ended with the murder of the First Emperors son in 207 B.C. Rebellion and civil war had broken out even before that event, however. From these warring groups emerged a farmer who lost every battle but his last one. Liu Pang, also known as Han Gaozu, the first commoner to rule China, became the first emperor to rule over the Han dynasty.

The Han dynasty continued the rule of China under a powerful central government. The empire was divided into fourteen commanderies and ten kingdoms ruled by the emperors sons or nobles he appointed. The powerful bureaucracy that had been set up by the Qin dynasty was expanded to reinforce the control of the central government.