The Han dynasty of early imperial China, divided between the eras of Western Han, the Xin dynasty of Wang Mang, and Eastern Han, witnessed some of the most significant advancements in premodern Chinese science and technology.
An unfolded traditional bamboo scroll book (Chinese: 册) of Sunzi's (fl. 6th century BCE) The Art of War, a Qing dynasty copy from the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736–1795)
A painted pottery jar from the Western Han period, decorated with raised reliefs of dragons and phoenixes
An Eastern-Han celadon ceramic bottle with a lid and lug handles
History of the Han dynasty
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The Han dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China. It followed the Qin dynasty, which had unified the Warring States of China by conquest. It was founded by Liu Bang. The dynasty is divided into two periods: the Western Han and the Eastern Han, interrupted briefly by the Xin dynasty of Wang Mang. These appellations are derived from the locations of the capital cities Chang'an and Luoyang, respectively. The third and final capital of the dynasty was Xuchang, where the court moved in 196 CE during a period of political turmoil and civil war.
Qin dynasty soldiers from the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, located near Xi'an
A Western Han bronze wine warmer with cast and incised decoration, from Shanxi or Henan province, 1st century BCE
A gilded belt clasp with turquoise, dated Warring States period to early Han dynasty, 4th to 3rd centuries BCE
Beginning in the Han period, kings were interred in jade burial suit made of small pieces of jade sewn together with golden thread. (金縷玉衣)