eLibrary: Khitan Empire (907-1125)

The Khitan Empire, also known as the Liao Dynasty (907–1125), was a powerful nomadic state founded by the Khitan people in northern China and Mongolia. It blended Chinese and steppe traditions, controlled key routes along the steppe Silk Roads and ruled over a diverse population with a mixed cultural heritage.

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Articles

Biran, M., 2004. The Mongol transformation: from the steppe to Eurasian empire, Medieval Encounters, 13, 1-3, 339-361.

Biran, M., 2005. True to their ways: Why the Qara Khitai did not convert to Islam. In Mongols, Turks, and Others (pp. 175-199). Brill.

Biran, M., 2013. Unearthing the Liao Dynasty's Relations with the Muslim World: Migrations, Diplomacy, Commerce, and Mutual Perceptions. Journal of Song-Yuan Studies, 43(1), pp.221-251.

Biran, M., 2020. The Qara Khitai. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Biran, M., e.a., 2023. The Kök-Tash underground mausoleum in north-eastern Kyrgyzstan: the first-ever identified Qara Khitai elite tomb?. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 33(3), pp.713-745.

Cheng, X., 2021. The Comparative Study on the Cavalry of the Liao Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. In 2nd International Conference on Language, Art and Cultural Exchange (ICLACE 2021) (pp. 364-374). Atlantis Press.

DiFiore, M., 2011. Great Power Peace: Examining Why the Peace Between the Song and Liao Dynasties Lasted Over One Hundred Years  PhD Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.

Dugdale, J.S., 2019. Pagodas, polities, period and place: a data led exploration of the regional and chronological context of Liao dynasty architecture , PhD Thesis, University of Birmingham.

Dupuis, A. 2024, The Empire of Two Families. The Matrimonial Dynamics between the Yelü and Xiao Clans of the Khitan Empire (916-1125),  Mongolian and Siberian, Central Asian and Tibetan Studies [Online], 55 | 2024, 916-1125.

Duturaeva, D., 2011. Khitans and Central Asians a Study in Their Bilateral Relations. The Journal of Central Asian Studies, 20(1), p.103.

Franses, M., 2007, The Khitan. Their art and their textiles 907-1125, 76-85.

Frohlich, B., e.a., 2010. A Khitan Empire Mummy: The Reconstruction and Evaluation of a Violent Death in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. In Dugui tsahiriin khadnii orshuulga

Fu, L. 1950, Natpat and Ordo: A study of the way of life and military organization of the Khitan emperors and their people, PhD Thesis SOAS, London.

Ge, R., e.a., 2023. Multi-faceted analysis reveals the characteristics of silk fabrics on a Liao Dynasty DieXie belt. Heritage Science, 11(1), p.217.

Heo, I., 2024. An Examination of the Koryŏ-Khitan Relations from the 10th to 12th Century through the Balance of Power System. International Journal of Korean History, 29(1), pp.223-262.

Hansen, V., 2011 The Khitan People, the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) and their World. Orientations, 42, 1, 34-42

Lane, G., 2021. The Khitans: Corner Stone of the Mongol Empire. Acta Via Serica, 6(1), pp.141-164.

Le, A., 2022. Analysis of Dragon Decoration in Liao Dynasty. Frontiers in Art Research, 4(13).

Liu, P., 2023. The Founding Year of the Khitan Dynasty: A Textual Investigation Based on Primary Sources. Journal of Chinese Humanities, 9(1), pp.3-23.

Li, Y., Shelach-Lavi, G. and Ellenblum, R., 2019. Short-term climatic catastrophes and the collapse of the Liao dynasty (907–1125): textual evidence. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 49(4), pp.591-610.

Lin, H., 2020. Empress Dowagers on Horseback: Yingtian and Chengtian of the Khitan Liao (907–1125), Acta Orientalia Hung. 73, 4, 585–602

Lin, H., 2021. Technique Adoption and Artistic Adaption: Silk Weavings of the Khitan Liao (907–1125). Confucius Institute in Sofia, 2021, p.226.

Lu, Q., 2014. The Concept of” Tomb” under the Nomadic Traditions: Redefining the Tombs of Khitan Nobles in the Liao Empire (907-1125 CE)  MA Thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Lu, Q., 2019. Grassland, Urban Space, and Ways of Life: The Seasonal Imperial City Qingzhou in the Khitan Liao Dynasty, 1031 CE–1125 CE  PhD Thesis,University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Miao, R., 2023. A Political Time Rewritten: Revisiting the Founding Year of the Khitan Empire. Journal of Chinese Humanities, 9(1), pp.24-40.

Mott, C.D., 2014. The formless empire: the evolution of indigenous Eurasian geopolitics PhD Thesis, University of St Andrews.

Pursey, L., 2020. The Necropolitan Elite of Northeast China in the Long Eleventh Century: A Social History of Liao Dynasty Epitaphs (907-1125)  PhD Thesis, University of Birmingham.

Shao, Y., e.a., 2023. Technical characteristics and coating formation mechanism of gilded silver products unearthed from the Consort Tomb of Emperor Shengzong of the Liao dynasty. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 15(3), p.28.

Shea, E.L., 2021. Intentional identities: Liao women's dress and cultural and political power. Acta Via Serica, 6(2), pp.37-60.

Steinhardt, N.S., 1998. Liao archaeology: Tombs and ideology along the northern frontier of China. Asian Perspectives, pp.224-244.

Sun, H. 2018 Studies on the Khitan Liao from the Perspective of Inner Asian History: Review Essay, Yu Taishan & Li Jinxiu, Eurasian Studies VI, 394-410.

Tolnai, K., Szilágyi, Z. and Harmath, A., 2019. Khitan Landscapes from a New Perspective. Landscape Archaeology Research in Mongolia. Studia Uralo-altaica, 53, pp.317-326.

Xu, E.Q., 2005. Historical development of the pre-dynastic Khitan PhD Thesis, Helsinki University

Yang, Y. and Zhang, X., 2022. Types of Furniture in Liao Dynasty Images. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 10(3), pp.248-256.

Yun, P. 2012 Koryŏ–Khitan Relations and Khitan Cultural Influence in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries. Journal of Central Eurasian Studies, 3, 69–83

Zhou, X., e.a., 2022. Fluorite used in ancient Chinese glassmaking during the 10th to 12th centuries: Evidence from glass products excavated in the capital city site of the Liao dynasty. Archaeometry, 64(5), pp.1138-1147.

Videos

Who were Khitans : Nomadic Chronicles and the Legacy of the Liao Dynasty (Timeless Treasury) 8.56 mins

The Rise and Fall of the Khitans & Why They Wanted To Build A Chinese Dynasty – Liao Dynasty History (Cool History Bros) 18.47 mins

Why was the Princess of Chen, who died at the age of 18, buried with her uncle wearing a golden mask? (Chinese National Treasures) 38.42 mins Chinese (no translation available)