Note that number in brackets in auction title is only my inventory number.

WARRING STATES

The "Warring States" period was a time in Chinese history characterized by constant multi party warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest that saw the annexation of all other contender states, which ultimately led to the Qin state's victory in 221 BC as the first unified Chinese empire.

There is a bit of debate among modern historians as to when the "spring and autumn" period ended. Various dates between 481BC and 403BC are sometimes used but the most commonly accepted date is 475BC because thats the date that Han historian Sima Qian used. Sima Qian lived (Roughly) between 145BC and 86BC and he used the term "Warring states period" in his writings - hence the name "Warring States". He is considered the father of Ancient Chinese history for his writings of a general history of China covering more than two thousand years beginning from the rise of the legendary Yellow Emperor up until his time. The end of the Warring States peroid has no such controversy and ended with the Qin unifying a large swath of North eastern China in 221BC. Some of this time era and space overlaps some of the Zhou era - although the "King  of Zhou" is usually mostly just a figurehead.