Imperial Tokens: Mirrors in Roman and Qin-Han Empires

Summary

This is an abstract from the "And They Look into the Mirror for Answers: Mirror Analysis to Understand Its Holder" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Roman Empire and Qin-Han China were two of the most significant and powerful states and empires in antiquity. Building upon recent research findings, and drawing inspiration from the numerous archaeological discoveries of mirrors in the both empires, this proposed paper aims to demonstrate how contemporary scholars can utilize specific archaeological artifacts, such as mirrors, to enhance understanding of social archaeology and gain insights into the ideas and concepts of the ancient world. The primary objective of this presentation is to conduct a comparative study of mirrors in the Roman Empire and Qin-Han China. The central concept chosen as the foundation of this research is "reflection," accompanied by sub-concepts: (1) soul/spirit; (2) social identity; (3) empire; and (4) beauty. By employing archaeological remains, findings, and ancient written sources, the study aims to utilize the concept of reflection as a means to connect mirrors within the context of social archaeology. This encompasses the understanding of mirrors as personal items associated with the concepts of soul and spirit, the role of dream and fantasy in mirror usage, and the use of mirrors as artifacts for propagating the ideas and roles of empires as political structures during the Qin-Han and Roman Empires.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• And They Look into the Mirror for Answers: Mirror Analysis to Understand Its Holder   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39106.0