Chinese society in the age of Confucius (1000-250 BC) : ǂb the archaeological evidence / Lothar von Falkenhausen.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 426-507) and index.

The reorganization of the élite in late western Zhou (ca. 850 BC) -- Distinctions of rank and gender within territorial ruling lineages (ca. 1000-650 BC) -- A north Chinese community (ca. 800-450 BC) : demography and ranking -- Clan differences within the Zhou culture sphere (ca. 1050-500 BC) -- Ethnic contrasts within the Zhou culture sphere (ca. 1050-350 BC) -- An expanding society (ca. 1050-250 BC) -- The eastern Zhou religious transformation (ca. 600-221 BC) -- The separation of the higher and lower élites (ca. 750-221 BC) -- The merging of the lower élite with the commoner classes (ca. 600-221 BC).

"The Late Bronze Age (ca. 1000-250 BC) was a crucial period during which the Chinese Classics came into being and famous thinkers such as Confucius (ca. 551-479 BC) laid the intellectual foundations of traditional Chinese civilization. Complementing and often challenging the surviving writings, the book develops a self-consciously archaeological perspective on the social conditions in this time. It analyzes clan and lineage organization, social stratification, gender and ethnic differences, as well as social change over time. Falkenhausen not only presents new data, but also thinks about these data in new ways, emphasizing the nexus between the social order and ritual practice and introducing anthropological approaches as yet rarely tested in China."--Jacket.