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Chinese translation of De re metallica discovered

Medievalists.net — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 15:03:47 +0000

Scholars from the University of Tübingen have discovered a 17th century Chinese translation of large parts of De re metallica or On the Nature of Metals, a mining handbook written by Georgius Agricola in 1556.

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Rapid Invention, Slow Industrialization, and the Absent Entrepreneur in Medieval China

Medievalists.net — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 04:37:47 +0000

For some sixteen centuries, about eight times the length of the period since the onset of England’s Industrial Revolution, China was the source of an astonishing outpouring of inventions that included a vast variety of prospectively valuable novelties as diverse as printing, the blast furnace, the spinning wheel, the wheelbarrow, and playing cards, in addition to the more widely recognized gunpowder and compass.

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The First Great Divergence?

Medievalists.net — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 04:53:58 +0000

The 'Papal Revolution' in late eleventh and early twelfth century western Europe and the unsuccessful campaign by Wang An Shi and his followers to reform the imperial administration of Song China at just the same time are regarded as critical turning points in their respective histories.

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Hellenes and Romans in Ancient China (240 BC – 1398 AD)

Medievalists.net — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 21:02:42 +0000

In this article I have assembled elements from historical texts, archaeological discoveries and research from other scholars in order to establish the links between these civilizations.

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How the Jin Loyalists Made a New Home in the South

Medievalists.net — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 20:43:16 +0000

The events of the transition from the Western Jin (265-316) to Eastern Jin dynasties (317-420) at the turn of the fourth century affected not only the people and history of that era, but also the development of China and Chinese culture today.

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Comparing China and India in the 9th century

Medievalists.net — Sun, 03 May 2015 21:46:46 +0000

A ninth-century Arabic text offers insights into daily life in medieval China and India.

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The Pre-History of Gunpowder

Medievalists.net — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 13:56:40 +0000

There is a Chinese tradition that a cook carrying a bowl of saltpetre slipped and dropped it onto a charcoal fire. That would certainly create a considerable conflagration but, as the ingredients were not mixed, hardly an explosion.

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Small Talk: A New Reading of Marco Polo’s Il milione

Medievalists.net — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 05:13:57 +0000

It is perhaps not that surprising that we find the narrative pattern reflected in Il milione conforms nicely to the expectations of the Chinese genre of small talk.

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Maritime Southeast Asia: The View from Tang-Song China

Medievalists.net — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 02:11:51 +0000

The following are annotated, critical translations of monographs from the Older and Newer Tang Histories concerning the foreign peoples and kingdoms of Maritime Southeast Asia.

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Which Chinese Emperor Are You?

Medievalists.net — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 22:17:36 +0000

Take this quiz to see which Ming or Qing emperor you are most similar to.

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