Sima Qian (Great Lives from History: The Ancient World, Prehistory-476)
Early Life
Nearly all information concerning the life of Sima Qian (soo-mah chee-yen) comes from his lifework, the Shiji (first century b.c.e.; Records of the Grand Historian of China, 1960). This comprehensive history of China from antiquity to Sima Qian’s lifetime has been partially translated in a number of editions but is commonly referred to by its original title. In this work, as was customary, Sima Qian traced his genealogy to legendary figures of high station and high repute. In the mid-ninth century b.c.e., the family suffered a loss of position and...
[The entire page is 2615 words long]
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