Just in: the final publication of the late (and legendary) Michael Loewe! This short book is notable as a single-authored comparative synthesis written by a specialist in early China—a useful complement to current work (mostly multi-authored or written from a Mediterranean perspective). Exciting!
Another sole-authored comparative study of early China and ancient Rome written by a scholar trained in east Asian studies: Rebecca Robinson, *Imperial Cults: Religion and Politics in the Early Han and Roman Empires* (2023). @rerob.bsky.social
TOC: Intro 1. Historical Sources and Attitudes to the Past 2. The Concept and Practice of Monarchy 3. Some Religious Aspects 4. Social Structure and Changes 5. The Structure and Conduct of Government 6. Monetary Practices, Population, and the Use of Coins 7. The Land and the Cities 1/2
8. Military Organization and Conscripted Service 9. The Laws of Rome and the Statutes and Ordinances of Han 10. The Growth of the Empires General Conclusions 2/2
Legendary, indeed. I first read Loewe when tak8ng a class with David Keightley (one of the few authors that Keightley didn't roast), but never met him until he gave a lecture at Oxford -- at the age of 90+ -- about decade ago.
Also at that lecture - which I think was on this topic (of comparison with Rome, but may be misremembering)? Truly incredible to do that in his 90s - may we all age as well as he did…
A close colleague here at Berkeley, Michael Nylan, who was very close with Loewe, arranged for me to have lunch with him a few years ago at his home just outside of Cambridge. An unforgettable experience. He was almost fully blind by that point, and had just turned 100 (!), but was RAZOR SHARP!
@bryanvannorden.bsky.social