Myanmar in the Fifteenth Century

Myanmar in the Fifteenth Century

Author: Michael A. Aung-Thwin

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2017-05-31

Total Pages: 393

ISBN-13: 0824874110

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When the great kingdom of Pagan declined politically in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, its territory devolved into three centers of power and a period of transition occurred. Then two new kingdoms arose: the First Ava Dynasty in Upper Myanmar and the First Pegu Dynasty in Lower Myanmar. Both originated around the second half of the fourteenth century, reached their pinnacles in the fifteenth, and declined before the first half of the sixteenth century was over. Their story is the only missing piece in Myanmar’s mainstream historiography, a gap this book is designed to fill. Renowned historian Michael Aung-Thwin reconstructs the chronology of this nearly two-hundred-year period while challenging a number of long-held beliefs. Contrary to conventional histories, he contends that Ava was the continuation of an old kingdom (Pagan) led by its traditional ethno-linguistic group, the Burmese speakers, while Pegu was a new kingdom led by more recent arrivals, the Mon speakers. Although both kingdoms shared many cultural components of the “classical” Pagan tradition, Ava was inland and agrarian, while Pegu was maritime and commercial, so that each was shaped by very different geopolitical and economic environments. In that difference rests the dynamism of their “upstream-downstream” relationship, which, thereafter, became a regular historical pattern in Myanmar history, represented today by inland Naypyidaw and “coastal” Yangon. Original in conception and impressive in scope, this well written book not only fills in the history of early modern Myanmar but places it in a broad interpretive context based on years of familiarity with a wealth of primary sources. Full of arresting anecdotes and colorful personalities, it represents an important contribution to Myanmar studies that will not easily be superseded.


Myanmar in the Fifteenth Century

Myanmar in the Fifteenth Century

Author: Michael Aung-Thwin

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780824875688

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When the kingdom of Pagan declined politically in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, its territory devolved into three centres of power and a period of transition occurred. Then two new kingdoms arose: the First Ava Dynasty in Upper Myanmar and the First Pegu Dynasty in Lower Myanmar. Their story is the only missing piece in Myanmar's mainstream historiography, a gap this work is designed to fill.


Bagan and the World

Bagan and the World

Author: Goh Geok Yian

Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute

Published: 2017-10-30

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9814786020

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The archaeological site of Bagan and the kingdom which bore its name contains one of the greatest concentrations of ancient architecture and art in Asia. Much of what is visible today consists of ruins of Buddhist monasteries. While these monuments are a major tourist attraction, recent advances in archaeology and textual history have added considerable new understanding of this kingdom, which flourished between the 11th and 14th centuries. Bagan was not an isolated monastic site; its inhabitants participated actively in networks of Buddhist religious activity and commerce, abetted by the site’s location near the junction where South Asia, China and Southeast Asia meet. This volume presents the result of recent research by scholars from around the world, including indigenous Myanmar people, whose work deserves to be known among the international community. The perspective on Myanmar’s role as an integral part of the intellectual, artistic and economic framework found in this volume yields a glimpse of new themes which future studies of Asian history will no doubt explore. span, SPAN { background-color:inherit; text-decoration:inherit; white-space:pre-wrap }


The Development of Florentine Humanist Historiography in the Fifteenth Century

The Development of Florentine Humanist Historiography in the Fifteenth Century

Author: Donald J. Wilcox

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 1969

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 9780674200265

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Presenting a new interpretation of humanist historiography, Donald J. Wilcox traces the development of the art of historical writing among Florentine humanists in the fifteenth century. He focuses on the three chancellor historians of that century who wrote histories of Florence--Leonardo Bruni, Poggio Bracciolini, and Bartolommeo della Scala--and proposes that these men, especially Bruni, had a new concept of historical reality and introduced a new style of writing to history. But, he declares, their great contributions to the development of historiography have not been recognized because scholars have adhered to their own historical ideals in judging the humanists rather than assessing them in the context of their own century. Mr. Wilcox introduces his study with a brief description of the historians and historical writing in Renaissance Florence. He then outlines the development of the scholarly treatment of humanist historiography and establishes the need for a more balanced interpretation. He suggests that both Hans Baron's conception of civic humanism and Paul Oscar Kristeller's emphasis on the rhetorical character of humanism were important developments in the general intellectual history of the Renaissance and, more specifically, that they provided a new perspective on the entire question of humanist historiography. The heart of the book is a close textual analysis of the works of each of the three historians. The author approaches their texts in terms of their own concerns and questions, examining three basic elements of their art. The first is the nature of the reality the historian is re- counting. Mr. Wilcox asks, "What interests the writer? What is the substance of his narrative? ... What does he choose from his sources ... and what does he ignore? What does he interpolate into the account by drawing on his own understanding of the nature of history?" The second is the various attitudes--moral judgments, historical conceptions, analytical views--with which the historian approaches his narrative. And the third is the aspect of humanist historiography to which previous scholars have paid the least attention: the historian's narrative technique. Mr. Wilcox identifies the difficulties involved in expressing historical ideas in narrative form and describes the means the historians developed for overcoming those difficulties. He emphasizes the positive value of rhetoric in their works and points out that they "sought by eloquence to teach men virtue." He devotes three chapters to Bruni, whom he considers the most original and important of the three historians. The next two chapters deal with Poggio, and the last with Scala. Throughout the book Mr. Wilcox exposes the internal connections among the three histories, thus illustrating the basic coherence of the humanist historical art.


Southeast Asia in the Fifteenth Century

Southeast Asia in the Fifteenth Century

Author: Geoff Wade

Publisher: NUS Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 528

ISBN-13: 9789971694487

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The argument rests on developments such as the introduction of firearms, more intensive rice agriculture, Thai and Viet ceramic exports, Korean and Ryukyu contacts with Southeast Asia, the demise of Champa, the climax of Viet and northern Tai statecraft, the birth of Melayu-Muslim kingship in Melaka and the creation of a new Muslim Javanese civilisation on Java's north coast. Coincident with these changes, Ming China's engagement with Sourtheast Asia grew as a result of overland expansion into the Tai and Viet polities, state-sponsored maritime voyages, and private Chinese trade and migration to the region. --


Buddhist Art of Myanmar

Buddhist Art of Myanmar

Author: Sylvia Fraser-Lu

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2015-01-01

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0300209452

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A stunning showcase of exceptional and rare works of Buddhist art, presented to the international community for the first time The practice of Buddhism in Myanmar (Burma) has resulted in the production of dazzling objects since the 5th century. This landmark publication presents the first overview of these magnificent works of art from major museums in Myanmar and collections in the United States, including sculptures, paintings, textiles, and religious implements created for temples and monasteries, or for personal devotion. Many of these pieces have never before been seen outside of Myanmar. Accompanied by brilliant color photography, essays by Sylvia Fraser-Lu, Donald M. Stadtner, and scholars from around the world synthesize the history of Myanmar from the ancient through colonial periods and discuss the critical links between religion, geography, governance, historiography, and artistic production. The authors examine the multiplicity of styles and techniques throughout the country, the ways Buddhist narratives have been conveyed through works of art, and the context in which the diverse objects were used. Certain to be the essential resource on the subject, Buddhist Art of Myanmar illuminates two millennia of rarely seen masterpieces.


The Renaissance of Marriage in Fifteenth-Century Italy

The Renaissance of Marriage in Fifteenth-Century Italy

Author: Anthony F. D’Elia

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 9780674015524

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Weddings in 15th-century Italian courts were grand, sumptuous affairs, often requiring guests to listen to lengthy orations given in Latin. D'Elia shows how Italian humanists used these orations to support claims of legitimacy and assertions of superiority among families jockeying for power, as well as to advocate for marriage and sexual pleasure.


A History of Myanmar since Ancient Times

A History of Myanmar since Ancient Times

Author: Michael Aung-Thwin

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2013-10-15

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 1861899394

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In A History of Myanmar since Ancient Times, Michael Aung-Thwin and Maitrii Aung-Thwin take us from the sacred stupas of the plains of Pagan to grand, colonial-era British mansions, revealing the storied past and rich culture of this country. The book traces the traditions and transformations of Myanmar’s communities over nearly three millennia, from the relics of its Neolithic civilization to the splendors of its pre-colonial kingdoms, its encounters with British colonialism and the struggles for the republic that followed the end of World War II. The authors also consider the complexities of present-day life in Myanmar and examine the key political events and debates of the last twenty-five years that have brought the world’s attention to the country. By exploring current developments within the broader patterns of Myanmar's history, culture and society, they provide a nuanced perspective on the issues and questions surrounding Myanmar’s future. This updated edition considers the changes that have taken place since the elections of 2010, the reforms that the civilian government introduced, and the ramifications of the country's new international status. It also assesses the implications of the 2012 by-elections, the ensuing political dynamics among various stakeholders, and the continuing socio-economic challenges facing Myanmar in the twenty-first century. The most comprehensive history of Myanmar ever published in the English language, this book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Southeast Asian history and will surprise, challenge, and inform in equal measure.


Spanish and Portuguese 16th Century Books in the Department of Printing and Graphic Arts

Spanish and Portuguese 16th Century Books in the Department of Printing and Graphic Arts

Author: Harvard College Library. Department of Printing and Graphic Arts

Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : Houghton Library : Harvard College Library

Published: 1985

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13:

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Nearly all the Spanish and Portuguese books in the Department were collected and given to the Library by the late Philip Hofer, founding Curator of the Department. They reflect his personal taste and his awareness of the historical importance of such a collection - foreword.


Myanmar's 'Rohingya' Conflict

Myanmar's 'Rohingya' Conflict

Author: Anthony Ware

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 0190928867

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Offers new analysis of the complexities of the conflict and new insights into what is preventing a peaceful resolution to this intractable