This book employs a biographical approach to comprehensively study a set of Tang era-tomb guardian figurines, known as the Four Gods (Sishen), comprising a pair of warriors (Dangkuang and Dangye) and a pair of hybrid beasts (Zuming and Dizhou). These objects were exclusively used by officials until 841 AD and were mainly found in capitals then. They disappeared in the 9th century AD. The book is divided into three sections. Part one focuses on their symbolism through names, images, burial contexts, associated ritual regulations, and the interplay of all of these, revealing their dual significance – apotropaic and political, tied to ritual propriety, nuo exorcism, yin-yang divination, and more. Part two explores their connection to other supernatural tomb figurines in the early and middle Tang periods, challenging previous theories and highlighting regional standardization. Additionally, this part delves into the Four Gods’ regulated production, government oversight, and role in funerary processions. Part three examines their disappearance due to shifting views on the afterlife and diminishing national power. It also explores changes in the usage of related tomb objects after the Tang era, focusing on protective functions and spatial concepts.

Papers present research from different regions ranging from ancient Mauritania, through Africa, Egypt, Cyprus, Palestine, Syria, as well as sites in Crimea and Georgia. Topics include: topography, architecture, interiors and décor, religious syncretism, the importance of ancient texts, pottery studies and conservation.

This book aims to employ and illustrate the unique strengths of burial evidence and its contribution to the understanding of social identity and status in the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese.

Welcome to the museum! Here you will find a collection of objects from ancient civilisations. Objects of beauty, objects of functionality, objects of war, objects of life, and objects of death and burial. As you wander from room to room, explore the magnificence of what civilisations have left behind over thousands of years of human history.

The hypocephalus is an element of Late Period and Ptolemaic funerary equipment—an amuletic disc placed under the head of mummies. Its shape emulates the sun’s disc, and its form is planar (although it is occasionally concave). This volume analyses the written records and iconography of these objects.

本书旨在通过对中国古代社会文化诸方面的学习以及相关英语表达方式的训练，使学习者了解古代中华民族风貌，并能以规范、流畅的表达方式对外介绍、弘扬中华文化，让世界了解古代中国。内容融知识性和趣味性于一体，图文并茂地提供了一种展现古代中国风采的视觉方式。充分利用电子教程的资源优势，根据所授内容插入相应图片和简短音视频资料，以凸显重要的主题，使课程内容生动直观。全书共10个单元，每单元分为两部分，通过听说读写等多种训练方式使学习者能够用英语介绍中华文化。

The book is published in conjunction with a traveling exhibition organized by the American Federation of Arts and The British Museum and drawn exclusively from the collection of The British Museum, which is among the finest in the world. Illustrated with images of the works in the exhibition, as well as comparative materials, Eternal Egypt is that rare book of interest and value to the general and scholarly audience alike."--BOOK JACKET.

With over 630 striking color photos and illustrations, this Chinese art guide focuses on the rich tapestry of symbolism which makes up the basis of traditional Chinese art. Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery includes detailed commentary and historical background information for the images that continuously reappear in the arts of China, including specific plants and animals, religious beings, mortals and inanimate objects. The book thoroughly illuminates the origins, common usages and diverse applications of popular Chinese symbols in a tone that is both engaging and authoritative. Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery is an essential reference for collectors, museum-goers, guides, students and anyone else with a serious interest in the culture and history of China.