Earth to Heaven: The Royal Animal-Shaped Weights of the Burmese Empires FROM THE PUBLISHER
Comprised mainly of new and original information, this volume will be of value as a resource for both the specialist and non-specialist — those who appreciate the region, its peoples, and their history; the artistic beauty and symbolism of its ancient weights; and the metrology and relations of the weights to the various kinds of currency formerly in use. In particular, the book will appeal to the historical metrologist, the oriental numismatist, the art historian, the symbolist, the ethnologist, the antiquarian, the dealer, the collector, the oriental museum curator, the specialist librarian, and the scholar of oriental studies.
Earth to Heaven describes the physical characteristics of the weights and their relationships, their manufacture, standardization and usage as well as the various motifs, their origins and transference to Burma. It also includes a fascinating discussion of the different animal shapes and their symbolic significance.
SYNOPSIS
During the five years they lived in Burma (Myanmar) in the 1950s and 1970s, the authors built a collection of the distinctive metal weights formerly used to weigh goods in markets, temples, and other venues. The fruits of their extensive research on the history of these weights, the development of units of measurement, and their use are presented in this detailed and scholarly text. Following this introduction, an analysis of the animal and other forms used for the weights, their history, symbolism, and guidelines for dating are described. Distributed by U. of Washington Press. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Home
