EAS103H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Sima Qian, Wiman Of Gojoseon, Records Of The Grand Historian
Document Summary
Sima qian"s records of the grand historian (shiji) Speech is important-> people who could speak well were influential. Masters- give advice to rulers, interested in how to organize states. Transmitted text= texts that have been copied repeatedly since they were first written. Transmitted text might have been altered, have things removed. Archeological discoveries and transmitted text may not agree-> but usually compliment each other. Craftsmen ordered to set up crossbows and arrows, rigged so they would immediately shoot down anyone attempting to break in. Mercury used to fashion imitations of the hundred rivers, the yellow river and the yangtze, the seas->constructed in such a way that they seemed to flow. Didn"t mention of terracotta soldiers (talked about replicas of towers and officials), but didn"t mention huge army of soldiers. Used to be brightly coloured-> now quite plain. Different combinations of parts (8 torsos, 6 heads, etc. ) put together so appearance that they"re all different even though they"re not.
