The Records of the Grand Historian, or Shiji, is a monumental history of China written by Sima Qian, the court astrologer and historian of the Han dynasty, who completed a project begun by his father. It covers more than two thousand years, from the legendary Yellow Emperor down to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. The work is divided into annals of rulers, chronological tables, treatises on subjects such as rites, music and economics, accounts of the hereditary houses, and biographies of individuals. Sima Qian was castrated as a punishment after defending a general who had fallen into disgrace, and he continued his writing despite this. His work set the model for later official histories and is admired for its literary style.
Before and after
- 104 BCEEstablishment of Qumran
- 2nd century BCEOrigins of Vienna
- c. 100 BCEEruption of Okmok
- July 100 BCEBirth of Julius Caesar
- c. 90s BCEPublication of Records of the Grand Historian
- from 91 BCE to 88 BCESocial War of 91-87 BCE
- from 88 BCE to 63 BCEMithridatic Wars
- from September 87 BCE to March 86 BCESiege of Athens
- 86 BCEDeath of Sima Qian
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- 551 BCEBirth of Confucius
- 6th century BCEOrigins of Judaism
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The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 1st century BCE.