An insightful book on ancient China, part of the “History of Civilization” series.
Contents:
FIRST PART: Political History
BOOK ONE: Traditional History
- The Five Sovereigns
- The Three Royal Dynasties (Hsia, Yin, Chou)
- The Epoch of the Leaders and of the Combatant Kingdoms
- The Imperial Era (Chin, Han)
BOOK TWO: The Chief Data of Ancient History
- The Ages without Chronology
- The Feudal Period
- The Empire
Second Part: Chinese Society
BOOK ONE: The People of the Plains
- Life in the Fields
- Peasant Customs
BOOK TWO: The Foundation of the Chieftainships
- Holy Places and Cities
- Diffused Powers and Individual Authority
- Male Gods and Chieftains
- Rivalries of Brotherhoods
- The Agnatic Dynasties
- The Increments of Prestige
- The Principles of Infeudation
BOOK THREE: The Seigniorial Town
- The Town
- The Overlord
- Public Life
- Private Life
BOOK FOUR: Society at the Beginning of the Imperial Era
- The Emperor
- Social Changes
About the author (from Wikipedia):
Marcel Granet (29 February 1884 – 25 November 1940) was a French sociologist, ethnologist and sinologist. As a follower of Émile Durkheim and Édouard Chavannes, Granet was one of the first to bring sociological methods to the study of China. Granet was revered in his own time as a sociological sinologist, or sinological sociologist, and member of the Durkheimian school of sociology.