The first comparative study of these two early empiresAlthough they existed more than a millennium apart, the great civilizations of New Kingdom Egypt (ca. 15481086 BCE) and Han dynasty China (206 BCE220 CE) shared intriguing similarities. Both were centered around major, flood-prone riversthe Nile and the Yellow Riverand established complex hydraulic systems to manage their power. Both spread their territories across vast empires that were controlled through warfare and diplomacy and underwent periods of radical reform led by charismatic rulersthe heretic king Akhenaten and the vilified reformer Wang Mang. Universal justice was dispensed through courts, and each empire was administered by bureaucracies staffed by highly trained scribes who held special status. Egypt and China each developed elaborate conceptions of an afterlife world and created games of fate that facilitated access to these realms.This groundbreaking volume offers an innovative comparison of these two civilizations. Through a combination of textual, art historical, and archaeological analyses,Ancient Egypt and Early Chinareveals shared structural traits of each civilization as well as distinctive features.

Anthony J. Barbieri-Low is professor of history at the University of California Santa Barbara. His bookArtisans in Early Imperial China won top prizes from the Association for Asian Studies, American Historical Association, College Art Association, and International Convention of Asia Scholars.Marissa Stevens is assistant director of the Pourdavoud Center for the Study of the Iranian World at the University of California, Los Angeles.

AcknowledgmentsChronology of ChinaChronology of EgyptIntroduction1. The Landscapes of the Nile and Yellow River2. Empire and Diplomacy3. Akhenaten, Wang Mang, and the Limits of Reform4. Legal Principles and the Administration of Justice5. Scribal Culture in Life and Death6. Providing a Model Afterlife (coauthored with Marissa A. Stevens)7. Gaming the Way to ParadiseEpilogueGlossary of Chinese Names and TermsGlossary of Egyptian Names and TermsNotesWorks CitedIndex