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#204 Legacies of Qin Shihuangdi: “Rising to Life”

9/27/2017

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Student presentation (Justin Ghaeli)

Background:
  • Today, we are turning our focus to sources. As we asked last year or the year before in Humanities: How is it we know what we know?
  • For much of early Chinese history, the answer is two-fold:
    • Written sources (which have traditionally been the most important for historians of China, and which we will explore with Sima Qian later this week).
    • Archeological sources (which are at the cutting edge of research and what we will discuss today).
  • What is archeology?
    • Digging up debris from the past left gradually over time or suddenly due to specific events (such as a burial or a volcanic eruption).
    • Archeologists dig underground for material remnants from the past, examine those remnants, and interpret their meaning as best as they can.
  • How did we discover the Terracotta Warriors?
    • In 1974, during the late stages of the Cultural Revolution, a group of farmers were digging a well only to discover a head of clay. The men reacted in horror, believing they had found “a ghost who drank all the water meant for the crops,” said Yang Jungeng, one of the farmers.
    • They had accidently discovered what some refer to as the “greatest archeological find of our time”: the burial complex of Qin Shihuangdi.
    • Hessler describes in detail what is the largest burial site we know of in world history.

Archaeological finds
  • All examples below are from Patricia Buckley Ebrey, The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 2nd ed. (Cambridge University Press, 2010).
Activity 1: Archaeological evidence from the late 20th century:
  • Imagine you are an archaeologist from the 40th century. Walk through the process of understanding the object you have just uncovered:
    • What possible functions might this object have? What features might provide a clue about which is most plausible?
    • What possible meanings might the inscriptions on this object signify? How might you identify the most—and least likely—scenarios?
    • Reflect for a moment on how likely you think your 40th century successors would be in accurately understanding the full context of this object.

Activity 2: Archaeological evidence from the 3rd century BCE:
  • Groups (3 students each):
    • Figure A
    • Figure B
    • Figure C
  • ​Examine the 3D image and answer the following questions:
    • What are some of the key attributes you observe? In particular, how is the figure positioned?
    • What can you tell us about the possible role of this figure in the terracotta army?
    • What do you think we can learn from this artifact?

Debrief/discussion

Homework: Assignment #205
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  • Courses
    • Archived Courses >
      • Chinese History >
        • Ancient/Early Modern: Living China's History >
          • Living China's History (fall 2017) >
            • Course Information
            • Course Project
            • In-Class
            • Assignments
          • Living China's History (fall 2018) >
            • In-Class >
              • The Death of Woman Wang
            • Assignments
        • Modern: China's Fall and Rise >
          • China's Rise and Fall (spring 2019) >
            • Course Info
            • In Class
            • Assignments + Units
          • China's Fall and Rise (spring 2018) >
            • Course Information
            • In-Class
            • Assignments
        • Contemporary: Thinking about a Changing China >
          • Thinking about a Changing China (spring 2017) >
            • Course Information
            • In Class
            • Assignments
      • Global Thinking (grade 9 seminar) >
        • HS150 Course Information
        • HS150 In-Class
        • HS150 Assignments
      • Japanese History >
        • Japan's Empire and its Legacies (fall 2016) >
          • Course Information
          • Daily Review
          • Schedule >
            • JE Unit 1
            • JE Unit 2
            • JE Unit 3
            • JE Unit 4
            • JE Unit 5
            • JE Unit 6
          • Research >
            • Issues of History
            • Research Schedule >
              • Checkpoint #2: Annotated Bibliography
              • Checkpoint #3: Outline
              • Checkpoint #4: Supplemental Pages
      • U.S. History >
        • Humanities History (2017-18) >
          • Course Information
          • In-Class
          • Assignments
        • Humanities History (2016-17) >
          • Course Information
          • In Class
          • Assignments >
            • U1: The American Revolution & the Constitution
            • U2: Defining the Nation
            • U3: 19th Century Social & Cultural Transformations >
              • Cemetery Project
            • U4: A House Divided
            • U5: Industry & Empire
            • U6: Progressive Promise & Disillusion
            • U7: Global Conflicts
            • U8: Civil Rights & Human Rights
      • More Course Descriptions
  • Skills
    • Reading >
      • Active Reading
      • Advanced Reading Strategies (Upper Mids and Seniors)
      • Outlining for Reading
      • Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources
      • Analyzing Primary Sources with SOAPSTone
      • Analyzing Visual Primary Sources
      • Selecting & Evaluating Secondary Sources
    • Thinking >
      • What is History?
      • Historical Thinking Chart (PDF)
      • Breaking Down History with the SPICE Factors
    • Discussing >
      • Engaging in Class Discussion
      • Evaluating Discussion
    • Researching >
      • Identifying Research Topics & Questions
      • Note Cards
    • Writing >
      • Zero Draft
      • Thesis Statements
      • Forming Counterarguments
      • Formatting Chicago-Style Papers
      • Ford Library Guide to Chicago-style Citations (PDF)
    • Tech Tips
  • Reference
    • Chinese History Tools
    • Further Reading in Asian Studies >
      • Books
      • News
      • Podcasts
    • Current Events around the World
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