ABSTRACT
Archaeological finds of the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries have changed the way we think about and study the history of Chinese medicine. Manuscripts written on silk and bamboo strips tied together with silk thread have allowed us to re-evaluate with greater certainty when, where and how medical ideas about yin, yang and the Five Agents were formalised in China. They also provide new evidence for myriad subjects ranging from the study of animal medicine, and its intersection with human medicine, to those bio-prospecting for new medicines and, equally, for understanding the role of magic and ritual in medicine, both in its own right, but also as a rich background for the history of innovation. This chapter introduces and summarises these manuscript finds to draw them and their hidden treasures to the attention of the next generation of scholars.
