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Research Article
Biography of “Jian Lu” and the Qin Army's Southern Campaign Against the Baiyue
Yan Yuanliang*
,
Li Yunpeng
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 2, December 2026
Pages:
48-55
Received:
18 April 2026
Accepted:
29 April 2026
Published:
10 August 2026
Abstract: The Lingqu Canal, one of the most renowned hydraulic projects in ancient China, was built in the Qin dynasty (B.C.221-B.C.207) for the military transportation purpose in the war of conquering Baiyue（百越）nationality. According to historical literature data from Records of the Historian and Huainanzi（淮南子）, its builder "Jian Lu（监禄）", named “Lu”（禄）as an inspector, was a celebrated hydraulic engineer in antiquity, yet records about him and the historical context of the Lingqu Canal's construction remain extremely sparse in hydraulic history research, with no significant progress made over time. After reading through Qin bamboo slips excavated from Liye（里耶）in western Hunan, we found slips mentioning "Qianling Shou Lu" (the acting governor of Qianling county). Based on the dates, locations, and events recorded on these slips, combined with military and historical background analysis of the period, as well as academic achievements in historical geography, it can be largely confirmed that the "Qianling Shou Lu" mentioned in the Qin bamboo slips corresponds to the Lingqu Canal's builder "Jian Lu" documented in historical literature. He had served successively as the Administrator of Jingshan Dao（荆山道）and the magistrate of Qianling County, later being promoted to inspector of Dongting Commandery. He was responsible for provisioning the Qin army with food and military supplies, overseeing logistics and canal construction during the Qin army's advance into Lingnan.
Abstract: The Lingqu Canal, one of the most renowned hydraulic projects in ancient China, was built in the Qin dynasty (B.C.221-B.C.207) for the military transportation purpose in the war of conquering Baiyue（百越）nationality. According to historical literature data from Records of the Historian and Huainanzi（淮南子）, its builder "Jian Lu（监禄）", named “Lu”（禄）as an...
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Research Article
An Exploratory Quantitative Spatial Analysis of Early Saxon Discursive Identity (250-700 CE)
Robert Jan Duchateau*
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 2, December 2026
Pages:
56-66
Received:
28 August 2026
Accepted:
14 September 2026
Published:
28 September 2026
Abstract: Traditional early medieval historiography frequently treats the early Saxons as a homogeneous, migrating ethnic entity. This paper explores this paradigm by conducting an exploratory quantitative textual and spatial analysis of early medieval identity construction, focusing on the maritime networks of the North Sea and the territorial river systems of the Rhine-Meuse delta in Northwest Europe. Utilising 58 systematically coded historical source elements from the digital Corpus Saxonum ante DCC, this study spans Late Antiquity and the core transitional centuries of the Migration Period (250-700 CE). Pearson's chi-squared tests (χ2 = 49.34, df = 4, N = 58, p <.001, V =.65) indicate a statistically significant chronological correlation within this specific dataset: the early discursive label 'Raider' (250-400 CE) systematically co-occurs with maritime settings, giving way to the sedentary, territorial label 'Inhabitant' (550-700 CE) in inland descriptions. A two-sample F-test performed on database-validated geographic coordinates from certified gazetteers confirms an overall geographical anisotropy for the total sample (F(57, 57) = 2.30, p =.001), indicating an unequal spatial dispersion of the textual mentions across the European littoral. Given the limited size of the dataset, these statistical configurations are treated as heuristic trends within this compiled corpus rather than definitive proof. The results suggest that the spatial-temporal distribution of the ethnonym in the text fragments aligns with shifting regional friction boundaries and administrative rhetoric, offering a provisional, interdisciplinary framework for quantitative historiography.
Abstract: Traditional early medieval historiography frequently treats the early Saxons as a homogeneous, migrating ethnic entity. This paper explores this paradigm by conducting an exploratory quantitative textual and spatial analysis of early medieval identity construction, focusing on the maritime networks of the North Sea and the territorial river systems...
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Research Article
Commercial Ambition and State Power of the British East India Company: The Rise of the “Company-State”
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 2, December 2026
Pages:
67-74
Received:
19 September 2026
Accepted:
4 October 2026
Published:
21 October 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.history.20261402.13
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Abstract: The British East India Company (EIC) presents a typical case of the fusion between commercial expansion and state power in the history of the British Empire. Founded in 1600 as a joint-stock corporation under a royal charter, the Company’s objectives were progressively converted from trade monopoly into the de facto domination of South Asia over the following two centuries. Drawing on Marx’s theories of colonialism and primitive accumulation and the historical contextualism theory, and engaging recent scholarship on the “company-state” and South Asian commercial networks, this paper examines the principal stages and mechanisms through which the EIC was transformed from a commercial enterprise into a territorial polity. Adopting a chronological framework, it traces three stages: first, from the Company’s foundation in 1600 to 1660, its operation as a chartered trading company and the construction of an Indian trading network through diplomacy and limited force; second, from 1660 to 1765, the establishment of its own military forces, rivalry with France in South India and the conquest of Bengal; and third, from approximately 1765 to 1800, the construction of administrative, fiscal and judicial systems after the acquisition of the Diwani (revenue-collecting rights). The paper argues that the “Company-State” was the cumulative outcome of a commercial monopoly progressively endowed with sovereign prerogatives - war-making, diplomacy, taxation, administration and justice - operating in the political vacuum created by the decline of the Mughal Empire, and that this process was mediated at every stage by the agency of Indian rulers, merchants and rural populations. The paper concludes that, by 1800, the EIC had completed the institutional transition from commercial monopolist to territorial ruler, a transformation that offers historical insight into the contemporary power and responsibility of multinational corporations.
Abstract: The British East India Company (EIC) presents a typical case of the fusion between commercial expansion and state power in the history of the British Empire. Founded in 1600 as a joint-stock corporation under a royal charter, the Company’s objectives were progressively converted from trade monopoly into the de facto domination of South Asia over th...
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