
Conceiving the Empire
China and Rome Compared
Oxford University Press
Published on 13. November 2008
Book
Hardback
512 pages
978-0-19-921464-8 (ISBN)
Description
The essays in Conceiving the Empire explore the mental images, ideas, and symbolical representations of `empire' which developed in the two most powerful political entities of antiquity: China and Rome. While the central focus is on historiography, other related fields are also explored: geography and cartography, epigraphy, art and architecture, and, more generally, political thought and the history of ideas. Written by a collaborative team of experts in Sinology and Classical Studies, the volume focuses the attention of the emerging discipline of East-West cross-cultural studies on an essential feature of the ancient Mediterranean and Chinese worlds: the emergence of `empire' and the enduring influence of the `imperial' order.
Reviews / Votes
This remarkably rich book represents a highly valuable contribution to cross-cultural studies of Rome and China * Jinyu Liu, The Classical Review * The book is an admirable demonstration of the great potential that lies in comparative analysis of the Greco-Roman world Ancient China. * Hyun Jin Kim, Bryn Mawr Classical Review * This is not only a matter of ancient history, but of history with a sharp contemporary relevance. * Christopher Kelly, Times Literary Supplement *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
35 in-text illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
922 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-921464-8 (9780199214648)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Fritz-Heiner Mutschler is Professor of Classics at Dresden University.
Achim Mittag is Professor of Chinese Studies at Tuebingen University.
Achim Mittag is Professor of Chinese Studies at Tuebingen University.
Editor
, Professor of Classics, Dresden University
, Professor of Chinese Studies, Tuebingen University
Content
I. THE BIRTH OF THE IMPERIAL ORDER; A. THE IDEA OF 'EMPIRE': ITS GENESIS BEFORE AND ITS UNFOLDING AFTER THE EMERGENCE OF THE EMPIRE; B. HISTORIOGRAPHY AND THE EMERGING EMPIRE; II.THE FIRMLY ESTABLISHED EMPIRE; A. IMPERIAL GRANDEUR AND HISTORIOGRAPHY A LA GRANDE; B.THE SPATIAL DIMENSION OF THE UNIFIED WORLD: IMPERIAL GEOGRAPHY AND CARTOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATIONS; C. SELF-IMAGE AND THE FORMATION OF IMPERIAL RHETORICS; D. THE POWER OF IMAGES: IMPERIAL ORDER AND IMPERIAL AURA AS REPRESENTED IN ART AND ARCHITECTURE; III. THE WANING OF THE IMPERIAL ORDER; A. HISTORY-WRITING IN THE FACE OF CRISIS; B. WHEN THE IMPERIAL ORDER DISINTEGRATES: RETHINKING THE 'EMPIRE' UNDER RELIGIOUS AUSPICES