China

China was in theory a unitary state ruled since around 1100 BC by the dynasty of the Zhou, but in fact it consisted of a number of various more or less autonomous regions under “vassals” of the Zhou kings. When the residence of these kings was moved eastward to Luoyang in 770 BC, it signified the beginning of a period called the Eastern Zhou, in which central authority was left with only a ritual and ideological significance. A certain sense of a common Chinese identity was thus kept alive, while for all practical purposes the country fell apart into independent states. The structures of these states resembled those of the first Chinese empire: strongly patriarchal and hierarchical and with a strong tendency

Antiquity: Greeks andRomans in Context, First Edition. Frederick G. Naerebout and HenkW. Singor. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2014 byJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Map 5 Eurasia, 10th-5th c. BC

Map 5  (Continued)

Figure 9 An inscribed bronze vase, China (9th c. BC). This is a large bronze vase, almost 60 cm tall, known as a hu, which was used for ritual purposes. It dates to the 9th century (the Dynasty of the Western Zhou), and was found in Shaanxi. Is now is in the provincial museum of Xi’an. It is decorated with the highly stylized image of a dragon and an inscription that translates as follows: “On the day geng wu of the 5th month, Tong Zong, who lives in the western palace, gave to his vassal Ji Fu six bags of aromatic herbs, four slave families, and ten jun of metal. In recognition of this generous gift, Ji Fu had this costly hu cast, and it is his hope that his sons and grandsons will keep this forever, as a special treasure.” Photo: akg-images/De Agostini Picture Library

To subordinate the individual to the interests of the collective. The rivalries between these states, however, in no way hindered the continued expansion of the area of Chinese civilization to the south as well as to the northeast.