Safavid Dynasty: Did you mean...?

The Mandate of Heaven (Tianming), also known as Heaven's Mandate, was the divine source of authority and the right to rule of China's early kings and then emperors. The ancient god or divine force known as Heaven or Sky selected a particular...

Oracle bones or dragon bones were the shoulder blades of oxen or the flat underside of a turtle shell known as a plastron that were used for divination during the Shang Dynasty of China which dates between c. 1600 and 1046 BCE. The bones...

The term Ancient Chinese Philosophy refers to the belief systems developed by various philosophers during the era known as the Hundred Schools of Thought when these thinkers formed their own schools during the Spring and Autumn Period (c...

A map indicating the territory of the Mongol Yuan dynasty of China (1271-1368 CE).

A selection of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) blue-and-white porcelain. From Chenghua reign, 1465-1487 CE. (British Museum, London)

This map illustrates the Roman Empire’s territorial limits and provincial boundaries at the close of the Flavian dynasty, c. 96 CE. The sequence of emperors, Vespasian (reign 69 – 79 CE), Titus (reign 79 – 81 CE), and Domitian (reign 81 –...

A Qin dynasty crossbow (221-207 BCE). From Beiguan, Xian, China.

The emperors of ancient China had tremendous power and responsibility. Called the 'Son of Heaven', he (and once she) was given a divine right to rule over all people but was expected to promote their best interest and not his own. An absolute...

Lying camel with guide, China, Tang Dynasty, early 7th century CE. Made from stone with a white glaze. Exhibited at Museum Rietberg, Zurich, Switzerland.

A map indicating the territory of the Northern Song Dynasty of China, 960-1125 CE.