Historical Perspectives on The Introduction of The Chariot Into China

Shaughnessy, Edward L.

doi:10.2307/2719276

Cited by 55 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…One of the earliest transmissions from steppe regions to the west was the domesticated horse, which arrived in China in the second millennium BCE (Beckwith 2009: 396). The war chariot arrived alongside the horse-a surprisingly complex piece of machinery that revolutionised early Chinese warfare (Shaughnessy 1988;Piggott 1992: 63;Anthony 1998: 94-95;DiCosmo 1999: 903). There are even claims that bronze metallurgy was introduced to China from the steppes, for which supportive archaeological data exists, and also the idea for writing, for which there is none so far (An Zhimin 1998: 60 andSagart 1999: 196).…”

Section: China's Relations With the Steppe Peoples In Former And Morementioning

confidence: 99%

Innovation Transfer during the Warring States Period: Considering the Importance of Early China’s Relationship with the Steppes

Havliček¹

2015

Vienna Journal of East Asian Studies

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This paper focuses on the contact between pre-imperial China and the peoples living on the steppes in her vicinity. For all the obscurity that had been shrouding the steppe inhabitants throughout centuries of historical scholarship, archaeological discoveries during the past century attest to their highly developed culture and economy and, what is more, make obvious that they had been entertaining close relations with the Chinese from as early as the second millennium BCE. Following a line of scholarship which has set out to redefine the role of the steppes in world history on the basis of this new data, this paper aims to demonstrate certain aspects of the important role they played in the history of China. Several very impactful innovations diffused to early China through interactions with the steppes, influencing Chinese history to a major degree. The paper specifically concentrates on a timeframe surrounding the Warring States Period (c. 500- 221 BCE), during which a couple of key innovations can be shown to have been adopted from the steppes. Furthermore, it illustrates the impact of these innovations on historical developments within China, thereby reinforcing the argument that the role of the steppes in Chinese history was one of tremendous importance.

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Section: China's Relations With the Steppe Peoples In Former And Morementioning

confidence: 99%

Innovation Transfer during the Warring States Period: Considering the Importance of Early China’s Relationship with the Steppes

Havliček¹

2015

Vienna Journal of East Asian Studies

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“…In particular, finds from the Sintashta site show that the chariot was already employed by about 2000 BC between the Volga and east of the Urals (Anthony and Vinogradov 1995). The view that the chariot was introduced into China from the west is now widely held among scholars, but there are differences of opinion regarding when and how this significant cultural borrowing took place (Shaughnessy 1988;Bagley 1999: 202-8;X. Wu 2001).…”

Section: The Shift To the Steppe Roadmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the notion that Chinese civilisation is generally of indigenous origin seemed to have been well established, 2 there has been a growing body of archaeological evidence since the late 1980s, showing signs of early cultural contacts between the Central Plains of China and cultures in the contiguous regions, or even areas as far away as Central Asia (Lin 1986;Mair 1990;Bunker 1993;Fitzgerald-Huber 1995). Consequently, some scholars are inclined to claim western origins for such significant technological innovations as bronze metallurgy, chariot and iron making in China (Shaughnessy 1988;Tang 1993). Now the need for a re-evaluation of the role of outside influences in the early development of Chinese civilisation has been widely appreciated both in China and outside, stimulating a new trend of research that focuses on the early cultural interaction between China and Central Asia within a 2 Jianjun Mei 2 Keightley (1983: xx) stated that 'there is now little doubt that, whatever the origin of a few particular elements, the complex of culture traits that we refer to as Chinese civilization developed in China'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural Interaction between China and Central Asia during the Bronze Age

Mei¹

2003

Proceedings of the British Academy, Volume 121, 2002 Lectures

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This lecture discusses some preliminary observations on the early cultural relationship between China and Central Asia in the light of the most recent archaeological discoveries from Northwest China. It considers three main issues: the role of outside influences in the beginnings and early development of bronze metallurgy in China, the shift to the ‘Steppe Road’, and the two-way traffic of cultural influence along the prehistoric ‘Silk Road’. The lecture also tries to show that early cultural interaction between China and Central Asia was the crucial drive for the growth of civilisations in both regions.

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“…We have known for some decades that chariots originated in western Siberia and reached northern China across the steppe, with early observations by Hayashi (1959), Watson (1971) and Piggott (1974). Fuller accounts were given by Shaughnessy (1988), Wu'en Yuesitu (2007), and Wang (1998); for a new and expanded discussion of the steppe origins see Chechushkov and Epimakhov (2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chariotry and Prone Burials: Reassessing Late Shang China’s Relationship with Its Northern Neighbours

et al. 2020

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In place of the traditional view that raids and invasion from the north introduced new weapons and chariots to the Shang (c. 1200 BC), we argue that archaeological evidence illustrates the presence of several regional groups at or near the late Shang centre, Anyang. Here we review burial practices at Anyang dating to the late second millennium BC, and describe a substantial group of prone burials that reflect a ritual practice contrasting with that of the predominant Shang elite. Such burials occur at all social levels, from victims of sacrifice to death attendants, and include members of lower and higher elites. Particularly conspicuous are chariot drivers in some chariot pits. An elite-level link with chariots is confirmed by the burial of a military leader in tomb M54 at Huayuanzhuang at Anyang, with tools that match exactly those of chariot drivers. Given that prone burial is known to the north, in the Mongolian region that provided chariots and horses to the Shang, a route can be traced eastwards and southwards, down the Yellow River, and then through mountain basins to Anyang. Our inference is that a group originally from outside the Central Plains can be identified in these distinctive burials. This marks a first step towards understanding the heterogeneity in the central population of the late Shang.

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Historical Perspectives on The Introduction of The Chariot Into China

Cited by 55 publications

References 0 publications

Innovation Transfer during the Warring States Period: Considering the Importance of Early China’s Relationship with the Steppes

Innovation Transfer during the Warring States Period: Considering the Importance of Early China’s Relationship with the Steppes

Cultural Interaction between China and Central Asia during the Bronze Age

Chariotry and Prone Burials: Reassessing Late Shang China’s Relationship with Its Northern Neighbours

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