The Book of the Later Han, also known as the History of the Later Han and by its Chinese name Hou Hanshu (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Later or Eastern Han. The book was compiled by Fan Ye and others in the 5th century during the Liu Song dynasty, using a number of earlier histories and documents as sources.
Background In 23 CE, Han dynasty official Wang Mang was overthrown by a peasants' revolt known as the Red Eyebrows. His fall separates the Early (or Western) Han dynasty from the Later (or Eastern) Han dynasty.
As an orthodox history, the book is unusual in being completed over two hundred years after the fall of the dynasty. Fan Ye's primary source was the Dongguan Hanji (東觀漢記; "Han Records of the Eastern Lodge"), which was written during the Han dynasty itself.
Contents The book is part of four early historiographies of the Twenty-Four Histories canon, together with the Records of the Grand Historian, Book of Han and Records of the Three Kingdoms. Fan Ye used earlier histories, including accounts by Sima Qian and Ban Gu, along with many others (some had similar names, such as the Han Records of the Eastern Lodge by various contemporaries throughout the 2nd century, and the Records of Later Han by Yuan Hong from the 4th century), most of which did not survive intact.
The section on the Treatise on the Western Regions was based on a report composed by Ban Yong (with a few later additions) and presented to Emperor An of Han in around 125. It presumably includes notes from his father Ban Chao. It forms the 88th chapter (or 118th chapter in some editions)Hill (2015) Vol. I, pp. xvi - xviii. of the Book of the Later Han, and is a key source for the cultural and socio-economic data on the Western Regions, including the earliest accounts of Daqin (the Roman Empire), and some of the most detailed early reports on India and Central Asia. It contains a few references to events occurring after the death of Emperor An, including a brief account of the arrival of the first official envoys from Rome in 166.Hill (2015) Vol. I, pp. 11; 13; 27; 181; Vol. II, pp. 202-203.
Fan Ye, himself, clearly says that the new information contained in this section on the Western Regions, is largely based on information from the report of Ban Yong:
"Ban Gu has recorded in detail the local conditions and customs of each kingdom in the former book [Book of Han or 'History of the Former Han Dynasty']. Now, the reports of the Jianwu period [25-56] onwards recorded in this 'Chapter on the Western Regions' differ from the earlier [ones by Ban Gu]; they are from Ban Yong's report [presented] at the end of [the reign of] Emperor An [107-125], and so on."Hill (2015), Vol. I, p. 13.
Annals (紀) # Title Translation Notes Volume 1 (Part 1) 卷一上 光武帝紀 第一上 Annals of Emperor Guangwu Emperor Guangwu of Han Volume 1 (Part 2) 卷一下 光武帝紀 第一下 Annals of Emperor Guangwu Emperor Guangwu of Han Volume 2 卷二 顯宗孝明帝紀 第二 Annals of Emperor Xianzong Xiaoming Emperor Ming of Han Volume 3 卷三 肅宗孝章帝紀 第三 Annals of Emperor Suzong Xiaozhang Emperor Zhang of Han Volume 4 卷四 孝和孝殤帝紀 第四 Annals of Emperor Xiaohe; Emperor Xiaoshang Emperor He of Han; Emperor Shang of Han Volume 5 卷五 孝安帝紀 第五 Annals of Emperor Xiao'an Emperor An of Han Volume 6 卷六 孝順孝沖孝質帝紀 第六 Annals of Emperor Xiaoshun; Emperor Xiaochong; Emperor Xiaozhi Emperor Shun of Han; Emperor Chong of Han; Emperor Zhi of Han Volume 7 卷七 孝桓帝紀 第七 Annals of Emperor Xiaohuan Emperor Huan of Han Volume 8 卷八 孝靈帝紀 第八 Annals of Emperor Xiaoling Emperor Ling of Han Volume 9 卷九 孝獻帝紀 第九 Annals of Emperor Xiaoxian Emperor Xian of Han; Liu Bian Volume 10 (Part 1) 卷十上 皇后紀 第十上 Annals of Empresses Guo Shengtong; Yin Lihua; Empress Ma; Consort Jia; Empress Dou; Empress Yin; Deng Sui Volume 10 (Part 2) 卷十下 皇后紀 第十下 Annals of Empresses Yan Ji; Liang Na; Beautiful Lady Yu; Lady Chen; Empress Yan Ming; Liang Nüying; Deng Mengnü; Dou Miao; Empress Dong; Empress Song; Empress He; Fu Shou; Empress Cao Jie
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