Ancient China
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Stretching back across five millennia, the story of Ancient China is one of the most extraordinary civilisational narratives in human history — and John Hay's authoritative survey brings it vividly to life. Part of the prestigious Bodley Head Archaeology series, this volume chronicles the archaeological discoveries that have reshaped our understanding of early Chinese society, from the jade-adorned tombs of Neolithic cultures to the monumental bronze-casting traditions of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Hay presents the material record with scholarly rigour, weaving together artefacts, excavation sites, and historical context into a coherent and compelling account of a civilisation that developed in remarkable isolation yet influenced the entire world. Hay's prose is precise yet accessible, making complex archaeological and historical arguments available to a broad readership without sacrificing intellectual depth. The volume is further enriched by detailed illustrations — drawings by Konstantinos Nairas and Pippa Brand — that illuminate objects and sites that mere description could never fully capture. Anchored in both the physical evidence of the earth and the sweep of dynastic history, Ancient China raises a tantalising question: how much of this ancient world still remains buried, waiting to be uncovered?
Author: John Hay
Format: Hardback
Genre: Archaeology
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Stretching back across five millennia, the story of Ancient China is one of the most extraordinary civilisational narratives in human history — and John Hay's authoritative survey brings it vividly to life. Part of the prestigious Bodley Head Archaeology series, this volume chronicles the archaeological discoveries that have reshaped our understanding of early Chinese society, from the jade-adorned tombs of Neolithic cultures to the monumental bronze-casting traditions of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Hay presents the material record with scholarly rigour, weaving together artefacts, excavation sites, and historical context into a coherent and compelling account of a civilisation that developed in remarkable isolation yet influenced the entire world. Hay's prose is precise yet accessible, making complex archaeological and historical arguments available to a broad readership without sacrificing intellectual depth. The volume is further enriched by detailed illustrations — drawings by Konstantinos Nairas and Pippa Brand — that illuminate objects and sites that mere description could never fully capture. Anchored in both the physical evidence of the earth and the sweep of dynastic history, Ancient China raises a tantalising question: how much of this ancient world still remains buried, waiting to be uncovered?