Six Dynasties Civilization

by Albert E. Dien

The Six Dynasties, also known as the “Dark Age” of Chinese history, was a period of political disunity and conflict but also one of important developments in the arts, religion, and culture. This comprehensive and extensively illustrated book covers the material culture of the Six Dynasties, A.D. 220 to 589. Albert E. Dien, a foremost expert on the period, draws on the archaeological findings of mainland China journals as well as historical and literary sources to clarify and interpret the database of over 1,800 tombs developed for this volume.
During the Six Dynasties, the influences of non-Chinese nomads, the flourishing of Buddhism, and increasing numbers of foreign merchants in the capitals brought about widespread change. The book explores what the archaeological artifacts reveal about this era of innovation and experimentation between the Han and Tang dynasties.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

622 pages, Hardcover

First published May 16, 2007

Reviews

[Xiang Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

非专业的话 食之无味

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent volume that opens the doors of the closed room that this period in Chinese history is for most non-specialists. Professor Dien covers the period's history, cities, architecture, tombs, religions, material culture, (including armour and weapons), and other aspects of daily life in a highly informative and readable style. It includes both Pinyin and Chinese characters for those who read Chinese, but is not pretentious nor overly-academic in its approach. And the black & white line drawings and illustrations are superb and very helpful (just one example: an illustration of the Northern Qi tomb figurines from just one tomb showing the diversity of dress, headgear and jewellery of the period). I've recommended this book to the students and docents I work with, all of whom have praised it in turn. Don't skip over the very informative notes (which unfortunately are at the back of the book; be sure to read them in tandem with the text), and the list of resources is enough to keep anyone on the right research path for years.