Book contents
- Rulers and Ruled in Ancient Greece, Rome, and China
- Rulers and Ruled in Ancient Greece, Rome, and China
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Maps
- Contributors
- Preface
- Chronology of the Ancient Mediterranean
- Chronology of Ancient China
- Maps of Ancient China, Greece, and Rome
- The Many Faces of “the People” in the Ancient World
- Part I Authority and Lifestyles of Distinction
- Chapter 1 Of Gold and Purple: Nobles in Western Han China and Republican Rome
- Chapter 2 A Tale of Two Stones
- Chapter 3 Private Associations and Urban Experience in the Han and Roman Empires
- Part II The People as Agents and Addressees
- Part III Inversions of the People: Emperors and Tyrants
- Part IV Identities and “Others”
- Glossary
- Index
- References
Chapter 1 - Of Gold and Purple: Nobles in Western Han China and Republican Rome
from Part I - Authority and Lifestyles of Distinction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 January 2021
- Rulers and Ruled in Ancient Greece, Rome, and China
- Rulers and Ruled in Ancient Greece, Rome, and China
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Maps
- Contributors
- Preface
- Chronology of the Ancient Mediterranean
- Chronology of Ancient China
- Maps of Ancient China, Greece, and Rome
- The Many Faces of “the People” in the Ancient World
- Part I Authority and Lifestyles of Distinction
- Chapter 1 Of Gold and Purple: Nobles in Western Han China and Republican Rome
- Chapter 2 A Tale of Two Stones
- Chapter 3 Private Associations and Urban Experience in the Han and Roman Empires
- Part II The People as Agents and Addressees
- Part III Inversions of the People: Emperors and Tyrants
- Part IV Identities and “Others”
- Glossary
- Index
- References
Summary
Imagine the following scenes. In Chang’an, capital of Western Han, a noble was in his coach-and-four, exiting the gate of his residence directly onto the avenue that would lead him to the Weiyang Palace. A gold seal was attached to his belt by means of a purple ribbon, and he wore a cap with three bridges.1 In Rome, another noble was making his way from his home on the Palatine Hill to the forum. He was clothed in a tunic with a broad purple stripe, the so-called latus clavus, wore a particular pair of shoes, and had a gold ring on his finger, all of which indicated his social status.
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- Information
- Rulers and Ruled in Ancient Greece, Rome, and China , pp. 25 - 69Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021