1. HSA-13
ORIGIN STORIES

2. Prof. Bol’s Office Hours have changed
New office hours: Wednesday, 2-3:30, and further by appointment

4. September 19， 2007 Historical Study A-13/History e-1825
Origin Stories
The meaning of “China” and the use of history to create meaning
“China: an artwork whose medium is history”
Locating origins in space
the north China plain, the Yellow River, the “loess” region
A. The story according to the Confucian texts of 500 BC: the “Former Kings”
The culture heroes
The sage-kings and their big ideas
Yao Shun Yu/Yü *
The “Three Dynasties” of Antiquity
Xia/Hsia (2200?-1700? BC)
Shang (c BC)
Zhou/Chou ( BC)
The meaning of “China” according to the texts: universal kingship, linear continuity, and a single origin
B. The story according to late 20th century archaeologists
Traditions of archaeology in China
Homo erectus (Peking Man) 1 million-200,000 years ago
Homo sapiens and the Holocene age (beginning 11,000 years ago)
China’s origins and the “Near East Diffusion” theory
Neolithic cultures
Early Neolithic
the Yangshao/Yang-shao and contemporary cultures (5000 BC)
Map 1
the Longshan/Lung-shan cultural period ( BC) and government
Map 2
The meaning of “China” according to the artifacts: multiple origins and competing centers
* When the romanization of Chinese terms in the Pinyin and Wade-Giles systems differs both spellings are given: first Pinyin/then Wade-Giles. (However “Peking” 北京 comes from neither Wade-Giles, which romanizes the city name as "Pei-ching," nor Pinyin, which spells it “Beijing.”)

10. Sage Kings Yao Shun Yu Xia dynasty (“2200-1700” BC)
Shang dynasty (1700?-1046 BC)
Zhou dynasty ( BC)

12. Yangshao culture

17. Map 1 – Early Neolithic cultures

27. Map 2 Late Neolithic Cultures