Kingship
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Summary
The book addresses two main problems: first, it seeks to show that the origins of human social structure lie in the institution of kingship, which arose from early sun worship; second, through comparison of the histories of various civilizations, it seeks to show that the embryonic form of kingship had a common source.
Accordingly, the book offers a detailed cross-cultural examination of solar kingship, coronation rites, sacrificial rituals, initiation ceremonies, and similar rites, drawing on materials from Southeast Asia, the Pacific islands, the Indo-European world, Egypt, and other regions.
Through this study Hocart not only confirms that social solidarity derives from kingship but also, by identifying organic similarities in the structures of diverse civilizational phenomena, draws inferences about the origin of the institution of kingship.
In addition, Hocart explains how the differentiation of society from an original solidarity came about, and what the driving force of social formation is.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Students of anthropology and ethnology who need to understand the lineage of classic questions in kingship studies
- Readers studying the relation between religion and politics, with an interest in ritual, coronation, and sacredness
- Advanced readers interested in comparative civilization and early anthropological theory
- Readers with a background in history or sociology who wish to use ritual materials to understand social differentiation
Not a good fit for
- General readers seeking light reading or narrative popular works
- Practical readers who want definitive conclusions rather than theoretical argumentation
- Readers impatient with cross-civilizational comparison and anthropological terminology
Reading tips
- Begin with the introduction or conclusion to grasp the two core propositions and the line of argument, then move on to the specific ritual materials.
- Take notes on similarities and differences among the civilizational cases as you read, to test the author's comparative inferences.
- Read alongside an introduction to the history of anthropological theory or to kingship studies to lower the terminological threshold.
- Do not rush to accept passages with strong inferences; first trace the gaps between materials and conclusions.
About the publisher
The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 总序
- 前言
- 第一章 序幕
- 第二章 王的神圣性
- 第三章 神佑我王！
- 第四章 王之恶
- 第五章 王的正义
- 第六章 不死之食
- 第七章 加冕礼
- 第八章 婚礼
- 第九章 官员
- 第十章 祭司
- 第十一章 彬彬有礼的复数形式
- 第十二章 入会礼
- 第十三章 神圣的标记
- 第十四章 古冢
- 第十五章 神话与土丘
- 第十六章 创世
- 第十七章 约书亚
- 第十八章 诸神
- 第十九章 尾声
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About the author
A.M. Horka is an author included in the library's holdings, but public information about this person is limited: nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and personal experience are not clearly recorded and remain to be verified. According to available information, Horka has only one work listed, Kingship, which is classified under world history. This suggests that the author's writing focuses on historical questions surrounding kingship, possibly involving forms of rule, political institutions, and the operation of power across different civilizations. Such a topic usually requires an author to balance the close reading of sources with a comparative perspective, and the placement of Kingship in world history indicates a cross-regional or long-term approach. Owing to limited materials, it is not possible to assess Horka's overall scholarly trajectory or the full range of the author's writing, nor to judge changes in style. Readers wishing to learn about this author can only begin with Kingship and observe how it handles this central theme running through world history.
Zhang Yahui is an author about whom limited public information is available; the library currently holds two of his works. Judging from these titles, his writing spans two rather different fields. One is world history, represented by Kingship, which deals with historical themes. The other is politics and Party-building practice, represented by Authentic and Beautiful Party Building, Strengthening the Foundation and Casting the Soul: A Collection of Party-Building Brand Essays from the Primary School Affiliated to Capital Normal University Fangshan. The former leans toward historical exposition, while the latter is grounded in grassroots school Party-building work and reads as a summary of practical experience and a presentation of institutional brands. The noticeable gap between the two subjects suggests a broad range of interests, combining a macro-historical perspective with practical writing on contemporary politics and educational institutions. As his dates, nationality, education, and positions cannot be confirmed, this profile makes no speculation about his personal background and presents his writing only on the basis of the works held in the library.
