Reflecting the cosmos, a Han mirror

Mirror with game board design and animals of the four directions, 1st-2nd century C.E. (Han dynasty, China), bronze with black patina, 16.8 cm diameter (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
speakers: Dr. Cortney Chaffin and Dr. Beth Harris

[@dataminerdaniel]

Another outstanding explication! A sincere thank you for explaining the interesting symbolism to those of us who otherwise would miss out on this fascinating work.

[@hansspiegl8684]

Thank you - so fascinating! Especially the details auf the animals. I am waiting for your next video!

[@HansDunkelberg1]

This looks utterly technical and modern. It forces me to rethink how I have to imagine ancient China.

[@NIGHTGUYRYAN]

ancient china was unvelievably advanced compared to what was happening in the west at the time. alot of history that is taught to us is told from a western perspective - we generally dont get into the east until we start talking about the silk road - but its misleading because it assumes china in particular was advancing at the same pace as the west, when in reality they were forming functioning societies and developing technologies for centuries while much of europe was still largely crawling out of the bronze age (and caves). this isnt a dig at the west or anything, i just remember being really surprised at learning this and your comment reminded me of that.

[@HansDunkelberg1]

​@@NIGHTGUYRYAN What you in the more northeastern parst of Europe and in the USA often overlook is that you there are outside of the area of _ancient Rome._ The ancient Romans have had quite some technology - not only the aqueducts, but also fine equipment for medicine or for a prediction of eclipses. Their medicinal art has been lost in the beginning of the Dark Ages, when, for example, men have been excluded from obstetrics. That you today live outside of the territory of the Roman Empire, in the USA or in most of the Germanophone area, will often obstruct your view for the degree to which until very recently and largely even into the present, modern technology of the West, in the end absolutely still based on foundations laid by ancient Rome, has been, and is, dominating worldwide. Looking back even further, you'll find out about a strong temporal advantage of ancient _Egypt_ over the earliest fluviatile civilizations of China. I do not think that it's a myth when experts for such an even earlier time downright speak of an _empty China._ The Romans have been connected with the sphere of ancient Egypt most intimately. The Hellenistic universe created after the conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC still could very smoothly tie in with ancient Egypt, at places like Alexandria. This universe then has been Romanized, politically. Not only obelisks will have been transported from it into the city of Rome. One of the reasons of the downfall of Rome has been that much of the realm's precious metals has been paid for imported oriental products, like for silk from China. When Rome has collapsed, India and China allegedly have seen a boost, beginning to strongly surpass Rome's remnants economically. On the other hand, a reduction of the irradiance of the Sun in those years apparently has triggered a very similar phase of domination through barbaric foreigners in China like in Rome. But indeed, also already before this, there has existed a technology in China which the West hardly will have proved equal to. I'm thinking, in particular, of the skill with which the corpse of Xin Zhui (= Lady Di) has been mummified.

[@moozillamoo2109]

The art work is symmetrical and stylized, which vastly differ from Chinese arts in the next 1500 years.

[@HansDunkelberg1]

@@moozillamoo2109 Thank you for this hint; I'm going to keep it in mind.

[@esraakamel5142]

Thanks

[@twonumber22]

A gem

[@Sasha0927]

This is a first! I've never heard of a mirror with a game board... I don't usually associate those things with one another. 😅 I'm also not used to divination being thought of as a game... What would illuminating the tomb help a deceased person accomplish? What on earth is a black warrior about?! Turtle and snake mash-up? I'd love to see one in other artistic forms! So many questions! This object challenged the way I see so many things - a very interesting start to the week, lol.

[@clumsydad7158]

beautiful and fascinating

[@steveschmitz2839]

❤

[@josephmessner5312]

Ausgezeichnet !

[@kentwang44]

Was this produced solely for tombs? The holes for the string seems to suggest it could be used by the living

[@shengsun5916]

The mirror in this case is used as an instrument for record keeping of theortical knowledge; however, during this period, the tradition of a priest king/ Shaman still exists, I don't know if you're Chinese, regardless the Chinese emperor is to be regarded as heavenly power on Earth, precisely because the real tradition is for him to be an astronomer/ astrologer but this role was later allocated for a seperate sky official. At any rate, the importance of this instrument of heavenly record is directly refected by its owner and it woud be entombed with its owner as well.

[@christianfrommuslim]

Great! How did the mirror work as a game?

[@smarthistory-art-history]

The symbolic motifs on the mirror back are borrowed from the Lui bo game board design and are thought to have been of value to the deceased in the tomb.

[@moozillamoo2109]

The art work is symmetrical and stylized, which vastly differ from Chinese arts in the next 1500 years.

[@creestee08]

i mustve missed it. but i dont see a mirror.

[@smarthistory-art-history]

We do mention that the reflective surface is on the reverse side.