Rulers and Ruled in Ancient Greece, Rome, and China

A comparative study of the ancient Mediterranean and Han China, seen through the lens of political culture.

Hans Beck (Edited by), Griet Vankeerberghen (Edited by)

9781108485777, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 February 2021

448 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.7 cm, 0.84 kg

'… a commendable example for those who will venture into comparative studies and will be of great interest to sinologists, classicists, and comparativists alike.' Mengzhen Yue, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Situated on opposite flanks of Eurasia, ancient Mediterranean and Han-Chinese societies had a hazy understanding of each other's existence. But they had no grounded knowledge about one another, nor was there any form of direct interaction. In other words, their historical trajectories were independent. In recent years, however, many similarities between both cultures have been detected, which has energized the field of comparative history. The present volume adds to the debate a creative method of juxtaposing historical societies. Each contribution covers both ancient China and the Mediterranean in an accessible manner. Embarking from the observation that Greek, Roman, and Han-Chinese societies were governed by comparable features, the contributors to this volume explain the dynamic interplay between political rulers and the ruled masses in their culture specific manifestation as demos (Greece), populus (Rome) and min (China).

Editors' preface: Introduction. The many faces of 'the people' in the ancient world: ????? – populus – ? min Hans Beck and Griet Vankeerberghen
Part I. Authority and Lifestyles of Distinction: 1. Of gold and purple: nobles in western Han China and republican Rome Griet Vankeerberghen
2. A tale of two stones: social memory in Roman Greece and Han China Miranda Brown with Zhang Zhongwei
3. Private associations and urban experience in the Han and Roman Empires Carlos Noreña
Part II. The People as Agents and Addressees: 4. Rhetoric, oratory and people in ancient Rome and early China Francisco Pina Polo
5. Female commoners and the law in early imperial China: evidence from recently recovered documents with some comparisons with classical Rome Robin Yates
6. Registers of 'the people' in Greece, Rome, and China Hans Beck
7. Food distribution for the People: welfare, food, and feasts in Rome and in Qin/Han China Moonsil Lee Kim
Part III. Inversions of the People: Emperors and Tyrants: 8. Augustus, the Roman plebs and the dictatorship: 22 BCE and beyond Alexander Yakobson
9. Liberation as burlesque: the death of the tyrant Garret Pagenstecher Olberding
10. Historical necessity or biographical singularity? Some aspects in the biographies of C. Iulius Caesar and Qin Shi Huangdi David Engels
11. Employing knowledge: a case study in calendar reforms in the early Han and Roman Empires Rebecca Robinson
Part IV. Identities and 'Others': 12. The invention of the 'barbarian' and ethnic identity in early Greece and China Yang Huang
13. Ethnic identity and the 'barbarian' in classical Greece and early China: its origins and distinctive features Hyun Jin Kim
Glossary.

Subject Areas: Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Asian history [HBJF], European history [HBJD]