From reality to symbol: agricultural system and dynastic order in the Guanzhong Basin during the Han Dynasty

Abstract

This dissertation examines the relationship between agriculture and dynastic order in the Guanzhong Basin during the Han Dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE). Taking Jiahe (auspicious grain) as its theoretical foundation, it explores both the agricultural system in reality and its symbolic expression in funerary space. By integrating archaeobotanical evidence, stable isotope data, pottery granary assemblages, and historical texts, the study shows that Han agriculture was characterized by diversification, ordering, and intensification. It further argues that these features of real-world agriculture were extended into funerary space, where crops deposited inside pottery granaries and ink inscriptions on their surfaces together constructed an idealized agricultural world for the dead. The presence of non-staple plants such as Job’s tears also reveals personal or localized choices in funerary practices. Overall, the dissertation demonstrates how agriculture connected everyday production, state ideology, and symbolic expression, providing both a material foundation and a representational medium for dynastic order in Han China.