Yan: Map & History
Yan was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty.
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Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
Yan was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Its capital was Ji. During the Warring States period, the court was also moved to another capital at Xiadu at times.
Modern Countries Once Part of Yan
At its mapped extent, Yan covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Yan's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Yan in Depth
History
According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, King Wu of Zhou deposed Di Xin of Shang at the Battle of Muye (c. 1046 BC) and conferred titles to nobles within his domain, including the rulers of the Yan.
In the 11th century BC, Yan's capital was based in what is now Liulihe Township, Fangshan District, Beijing, where a large walled settlement and over 200 tombs of nobility have been unearthed. Shang oracle bones indicate the existence of an earlier Yan polity whose rulership may have been deposed. Among the most significant artifacts from the Liulihe Site is a bronze ding with inscriptions that recount the journey of the eldest son of the Duke of Yan, who delivered offerings to the King of Zhou in present-day Xi'an and was awarded a position in the king's court.
Culture and society
Before the state of Qin unified China in 221 BC, each region had its own unique customs and culture, although all were dominated by an upper class that shared a largely common culture. In the Yu Gong (Tribute of Yu), a section of the Book of Documents which was most likely composed in the 4th century BC, the author describes a China that is divided into Nine Provinces, each with its own distinctive culture and products. The core theme of this section is that these nine regions are unified into one state by the travels of the eponymous sage, Yu the Great and by sending each region's unique goods to the capital as tribute. Other texts also discussed these regional variations in culture and physical environments.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Yan (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Yan: Key Facts
| Capital | Ji |
|---|---|
| Founded | 337 CE |
| Dissolved | 370 CE |
Preceded by
- Ran Wei
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q1472004 (CC0).
Yan Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Yan appears, with the other states of the time.
Yan Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 105,154 km² in 257 BCE.
Yan: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Yan exist?
Yan is dated to 750 BCE – 204 BCE, in the Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations era.
What was the capital of Yan?
The capital of Yan was Ji (蓟), Xiadu.
How large was Yan at its peak?
At its peak in 257 BC Yan covered about 105,154 km².
How did the map of Yan change over time?
Yan appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 750 BCE to 323 BCE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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