Welcome to Jadeology: Ancient Jade Decoding by Kako Crisci

Immerse yourself in the mysteries of ancient civilizations through the timeless beauty of jade. Renowned author and art historian Kako Crisci invites you on an empirical journey to uncover history’s hidden stories, revealed through the lens of this treasured gemstone. As you unlock the secrets of ancient jade, may you also discover a reflection of an even greater treasure—the untapped potential within yourself.

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Ancient Jade Books By Kako Crisci

Jade Reflections: Decoding the Western Zhou Dynasty

The Western Zhou dynasty left an indelible mark on Chinese history,
shaping the nation’s identity and cultural trajectory. Through the lens of
jade artifacts, this book delves into the profound changes wrought by
the Western Zhou period, offering insights into its political, social, and
philosophical underpinnings. By juxtaposing ancient Greek philosophy
with Chinese thought, the book elucidates fundamental differences
between Eastern and Western cultures.
Organized chronologically into early, middle, and late periods of the
Western Zhou dynasty, the book examines jade artifacts within the
context of their functions: serving gods, decoration, and burial. Through
detailed analyses of over forty jade pieces, it elucidates how these
artifacts reflect the political and social transformations of the era.
The first part of the book traces the political and social changes of the
Western Zhou period, while the second part focuses on jade artifacts
themselves. Through empirical observation, readers gain deeper
insights into both jade and Chinese culture. The author also sheds light
on jade vessels, challenging contemporary scholarly perspectives and
advocating for a critical reexamination of both jade artifacts and the
culture they represent.

Jade Vessels The Inspirations of The ShangBronzes, Jade of the Shang Dynasty

From around 3000 to 1900BC, the late Neolithic period was a time of transition. In Mesopotamia, Egypt, and all around the Mediterranean basin, better living standards saw the rise of new cultures. In China Far East, along the Yellow River, settlements started to flourish and create their own unique identity.

Jade was a precious and extremely difficult to carve mineral, mainly dedicated to the service of rituals or religious ceremonies. However, for a long time, the Shang dynasty jade design was regarded as a mere reproduction of the widely available bronzes the Shang were known for.

In this book, the author revisits pre-conceived historical knowledge and, based on the research of well-respected scholar Hayashi Minao and expert historians Deng Shuping and Cai Qingliang, proposes that many of the jades pieces exhibited today in museums and private collections may have come from distinct earlier cultures and that bronze design may have been influenced by these devotional objects, not the reverse.

Part one of this book, Jade from the early and middle Shang, presents the historical context in which cultures such as the Erlitou and the Erligang developed their unique style before being assimilated into the later Shang Dynasty.

Part two, Jade from the late Shang, focuses on specific examples of ceremonial, weapons, and decorative jade to prove further that these pieces may actually have been anterior to the predominantly bronze ear and, by doing so, bring to light the exceptional craftsmanship of much older cultures.

Eighty-four illustrations and photographs of unique jade artworks open a unique window of appreciation for these Shang Dynasty's sophisticated and little-known cultures.

Longshan Jade: Treasures of an Undiscovered Era

The cultural landscape of the middle-lower Yellow River valley and coastal areas in the third millennium B.C. has been identified as the cradle of Chinese civilization. It was the home of the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, which commonly signified the birth of Chinese civilization, roughly 4,000-6,000 years ago.

The Central Plains Region, not too far away from the first dynasty, Xia (2,100-1,600 B.C.), was also a historic territory of the Longshan era (Early Longshan 3,000-2,600 B.C., Late Longshan 2,600-1,900 B.C.) and was an essential component of both primordial and prehistoric civilization. Legendary mythologies derived from there taught people how to ignite a fire, cultivate farmlands, build houses, use herb medicines, establish a complex political organization, and possibly, write and count.

The 1980s saw additional discoveries of the Hongshan Culture in the northeast and the Liangzhu Culture in the southeast, providing evidence for scholars to further trace the origins of Chinese civilization. Since then, there have been debates concerning the veracity of the old idea that China’s Central Plains were the sole cradle of the country’s civilization. Nonetheless, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were still believed as the direct common ancestors of the Chinese.

Ancient jade was crucial to the development of society throughout the Longshan period. In addition to being used in religious rituals and as a material for sculpting statues of important political and social figures, jade was also considered a conduit to the gods. The Jade Renaissance had arrived. Occurring between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, there is no other country or culture in antiquity that can match China’s Jade Age.

This is the first English-language book dedicated to the Neolithic jade artifacts known as Longshan Jade, and it features more than eighty- one images and photographs of these magnificent pieces of art. Along with detailed background, it showcases the exquisite craftsmanship and aesthetic value of Longshan jade from the heyday of jade culture in China and introduces it to the West. Splitting the area in half, the western region is home to the Qijia, Taosi, and Shimao Neolithic cultures while the eastern region is home to the other five major Neolithic civilizations of the region (Dawenkou, Shijiahe, Henan Longshan, Shandong Longshan, and Erlitou). Although Dawenkou is a predecessor of Longshan and Erlitou is a descendant of Longshan, by arranging the jade cultures from the same region successively and describing the personalities, social roles, and cultural significance of those Neolithic jade artifacts, it not only provides readers with the most recent research from reputable scholars but also offers some general guidelines on how to read the Neolithic jades from different regions. By dissecting each piece’s production process in minute detail, the author provides not only a means by which readers can learn to recognize a work of genius but also, by drawing parallels to modern-day globalization, evidence of the constant cultural exchanges that characterize the Neolithic period.

Liangzhu Jade: Unity In Diversity, The Power of Prayer

The Liangzhu culture (circa 3300-2300 B.C.) was first discovered in the 1930s in the Zhejiang province of China, which included the coastal areas around the mouth of the Yangtze River. From the 1970s to the 1990s, a large number of jade artifacts of outstanding quality were unearthed there. It became the biggest discovery of jade artifacts of the twentieth century.

During last forty years, archeological development provided scholars with evidence that not only revealed the evolutionary course of Chinese civilization, but it also confirmed the history of China's five thousand years of civilization. Because of their studies, our knowledge of these ancient people and their cultures expanded considerably.

Liangzhu jade pieces are the biggest and most brilliant examples of art that began during the Neolithic period. They are the most important and the most well-preserved remnants of their culture. Jade helps us to understand the Liangzhu's beliefs, the way they thought, their perceptions of life and their social systems.

Cong tubes and bi discs are the most signature jade forms, and these two jade forms are the majority of Liangzhu jade. We know that the Liangzhu jade must have been very important to them, but for a long time we could not identify the meaning of them. In this book, the author introduces the research done by Hayashi Minao, who was the most respected and studied scholar of the twentieth century. He explained clearly what were the meaning of the cong tubes and bi discs.

More than one hundred illustrations and photographs of unique jade artworks open a unique window of appreciation for the most extraordinary neolithic jade. Through the varieties and diversities of this jade collection, we are getting close to the true picture of their unity in a diverse society, and through their outstanding quality of their jade, we are sharing the power of prayer from the Liangzhu people.

Hongshan Jade:The Oldest, Most Imaginative Jade, Full of Mysterious Beauty

Hongshan jade stood at the head of long Chinese jade history. In the past thirty years archaeology interest and exploration brought new light on this most extrordinary jade. Thanks to many scholars' research, based on archaeological discoveries we are able to see jade from Hongshan people's side of view. In this book you will get the most updated knowledge about Hongshan jade, from what was jade, how it was made,to how to identity it. Through each piece we can get a sense about how the culture was formed, what was Hongshan people belived, and how their society functioned. While we are just starting to assemble Hongshan picture, we are still in the beginning stage and enjoying a tiny first bite of Hongshan jade.

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What Readers Say

It's hard to find a book specific on the influence of Jade and its role in the history. If you are interested , this is the one with great details and interesting facts! A great read.