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ZENODO
Article . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Article . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Article . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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The Mandate's Iron Age: Materiality, Legitimacy, and the Zhou Political Order

Authors: Revista, Zen; HISTORY, 10;

The Mandate's Iron Age: Materiality, Legitimacy, and the Zhou Political Order

Abstract

The Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046-256 BCE) is renowned for establishing the enduring concept of the Mandate of Heaven (Tianming), a foundational principle of legitimate rule in China. While much scholarly attention has focused on its philosophical and ritualistic dimensions, and the preceding Bronze Age material culture, this paper investigates the crucial, yet often overlooked, role of iron technology in shaping and sustaining the Zhou political order, particularly during its later periods. As iron production and utilization became increasingly widespread, displacing bronze in many utilitarian applications, it profoundly impacted warfare, agriculture, and craft production. This material transformation was not merely technological; it was deeply interwoven with the Zhou's claims to legitimacy. We argue that the shift towards an "Iron Age" provided new material foundations for the Mandate, enabling greater resource mobilization, military expansion, and agricultural prosperity, all of which could be presented as tangible evidence of Heaven's favor. Through an interdisciplinary approach combining archaeological evidence, textual analysis of historical records, and a re-evaluation of material culture studies, this paper explores how the materiality of iron both reinforced and adapted the Mandate of Heaven, creating a dynamic interplay between technological innovation and political ideology that defined the later Zhou period.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green