Han dynasty

In ancient times the Chinese buried jade with their dead in the belief that the stone would prevent decomposition of the corpse. During the Han Dynasty (third century b.c.e. - third century c.e.), for example, pieces of jade were placed in each of the body orifices to ward off decay. It is ironic, there-... 

Chinese legend states that the first herbal formulary was developed by an emperor around 2700 BC. The written record of a Chinese herbal formulary comes from the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). 

The Records of the Kingdoms South of Mt. Hua (Hua yang kuo chih), a work on the local history and geography of Szechwan and adjacent regions of China compiled in about 347 A.D., mentions fire wells (huo ching) which date from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.—24 A.D.) and states that the natural gas from them was used for the boiling of salt brines and for other purposes (55). 

Two bricks or tiles bearing reliefs depicting the salt industry as practiced in the first or second century A.D. have been unearthed in Szechwan. Rubbings of these bricks, which were used in the construction of two tombs of the Later Han dynasty (A.D. 24-220), were published in Isis by Richard C. Rudolph (66). 

Folklore The herb was mentioned in Chinese texts during the Han dynasty (ad 25-220). Its Chinese name is Wu Wei Zi, which means five-flavours fruit,... 

In China, silk for export to west Asia was dyed with lac dye as early as in the Han dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.) (41). The Greek physician Ctesias, who lived about 400 B.C. at the Court of a Persian king, writes in his works on India known as "Indica" "There are in... 

As mentioned previously, in the introductory chapter of this book, interest in the treatment of disease can be found in documents as old as the existence of records. Folklore accumulated about presumed effects after the use of certain medicines. The Ebers papyrus, written in Egypt around 1550 bc, was a compilation of some of this folklore. In India, Ayurveda (from ayur, meaning life, and veda, meaning knowledge or science), a whole conceptual system of living, is believed to have started around the same time. The codification of this system of medicine, including the concept of a formulary in which herbal remedies and recipes for them are described, was written in Sanskrit around 100 bc to ad 100 or possibly earlier. The written record of a Chinese herbal formulary comes from the Han dynasty (206 bc to ad 220). 

A more recent discovery at a tomb at Pa-ch iao in Sian, a modem city in Shensi province, yielded paper specimens that may be older than those found at Tsakhortei. Scraps of thin, yellowish paper found there in May 1957 are believed to belong to the western Han dynasty, 202b.c-a.d. 9(1). 

Cloves are a flavoring for mulled cider and ketchup, and for decoration in pomanders. Dried aj les or oranges covered with cloves are valued for their pleasant scent. The scent of cloves was considered so pleasant that courtiers of Han Dynasty China chewed cloves to improve their breath before appearing in court. Cloves give their flavor and name to clove cigarettes, or kretek in Indcnesia. They are made by mixii cloves with the tobacco. 

Lack of information about textile usage by certain early peoples becomes critical when one finds that their descendants demonstrated mastery of elaborate textile products. For example, the intricacy of silk textiles recovered from Han Dynasty tombs (ca. 206 b.c.-a.d. 220) sug-... 

We must dispel the enchanting myths about Emperor Shennong because they appear to be fabrications of ethnocentric Han historians (Western Han Dynasty 206 bce-24 ce Eastern Han Dynasty 25 bce-220 ce), as is the emperor himself For example, none of Professor Ho s carefully documented works mentions Shennong (Ho, 1969, 1975). In discussing the antiquity of the soybean. Ho comments that the beginnings of the domestication of the soybean may never be exactly known. We know only that the plant was probably first domesticated successfully in the eastern half of North China, probably not too much earlier than the eleventh century B.C. 

Developed in China before the Han dynasty (206 bce), the soy nugget is considered to be the progenitor of many types of fermented soy pastes and soy sauces. It was the first soyfood to be described in written records. The product continues to be popular in China and certain regions of Japan. Similar products are also produced in Philippines (known as tao-si) and Eastern India (known as tao-tjo). 

Having heard of Zuo Ci, the Biographies continues, Cao Cao (155-220), the King of Wei, summoned him to the capital, Luoyang, where he performed the magical feats narrated in the Biographies, the History of the Later Han Dynasty, and several other sources. 

As evidence of historical connections between Zou Yan and alchemy, some scholars have also referred to a passage in the History of the Former Han Dynasty that mentions techniques ascribed to him. The following is Joseph Needham s translation of the passage ... 

The passage of the History of the Former Han Dynasty on the anti-coining edict is terse but unambiguous ... 

Dubs, Homer H. The History of the Former Han Dynasty by Fan Ku. 3 vols. Baltimore Waverly Press, 1938-55. 

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