{"id":11,"date":"2015-10-19T19:49:07","date_gmt":"2015-10-19T19:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.history.ucsb.edu\/faculty\/barbierilow\/wordpress\/?page_id=11"},"modified":"2025-11-12T15:11:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T15:11:32","slug":"biography","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/?page_id=11","title":{"rendered":"Biography"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Short Biography of Anthony Barbieri<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"IMG_0158\"<\/p>\n

I was born in Santa Clara, California on November 30, 1967, the youngest of three children. My parents Romolo and Gale Barbieri held degrees in engineering and biology, respectively, so my first academic interests were naturally in those directions. I enrolled at San Jos\u00e9 State University in 1986, pursuing a degree in Math-Computer Science. After trying my hand at computer programming and computer network support, I decided to switch fields completely, seeking a more humanistic endeavor.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"tonyucsc\"<\/p>\n

In 1992 I transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz, to study Asian History and Anthropology (Archaeology). Under the influence of some great professors, I decided to focus on Ancient Chinese history and archaeology. Graduating with honors in 1994, my senior thesis was entitled, \u201cThe Origins and Evolution of Political Authority in Ancient China.\u201d Though somewhat na\u00efve and teleological, this study was an earnest attempt to synthesize the secondary and primary sources (in translation) for the evolution of political authority in China, from the first emergence of state-level society to the empire of the Qin.<\/p>\n

\"tonyharvard\"In 1995, I enrolled in a masters program in East Asian Regional Studies at HarvardUniversity. Harvard’s plentiful resources for Chinese studies and numerous China-related faculty, made this experience invaluable for my formal training as a Sinologist. In 1997, I completed my M.A. thesis, entitled \u201cWheeled Vehicles in the Chinese Bronze Age,\u201d which was primarily a technical investigation of the Chinese chariot and its diffusion from Central Asian prototypes. This was published in an expanded form in 2000, in Sino-Platonic Papers 99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 1997, I transferred to Princeton University and enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Chinese Art and Archaeology, working under Professor Robert W. Bagley. At Princeton I was able to embark on rigorous formal training in art history, while continuing my studies of archaeology and ancient history. At the suggestion of my advisor, I focused my dissertation research of the organization of imperial workshops in Han China. Using object analysis, inscriptions, and received texts, I was able to reconstruct the labor and management organization at one imperial luxury-goods factory that operated in Chengdu city during the Qin and Han dynasties.<\/p>\n

Professional Career<\/h2>\n

\"2006-08-08After graduating in 2001, I took up my first appointment in the History Department at the University of Pittsburgh. During my very enjoyable years in Pittsburgh, I learned how to teach undergraduates, since I had no teaching experience from my time in Princeton.  Also, working with a department of labor historians, I began to refocus my work more toward labor history, leading to my book Artisans in Early Imperial China<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2007, I accepted a position in the Department of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The department in Santa Barbara is large and varied. I teach a variety of large and small classes, including World History. In 2015 I was promoted to Full Professor.<\/p>\n

My research interests continue to evolve. In the last ten years, I published a major translation of ancient Chinese legal texts, another book comparing Ancient Egypt and Early China, and a third focused on historical interpretations of the Qin Dynasty. My current projects include another major translation (Yantielun<\/em>), a study of East-West cultural interchange, an anthology of East-West travel accounts (just published), and a cultural history of tigers in China.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Short Biography of Anthony Barbieri I was born in Santa Clara, California on November 30, 1967, the youngest of three children. My parents Romolo and Gale Barbieri held degrees in engineering and biology, respectively, so my first academic interests were naturally in those directions. I enrolled at San Jos\u00e9 State University in 1986, pursuing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PdD41Y-b","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":147,"url":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/","url_meta":{"origin":11,"position":0},"title":"Welcome","author":"barbieri-low@history.ucsb.edu","date":"October 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome to the personal research website of Anthony Barbieri (\u674e\u5b89\u6566), [pen name: Anthony Barbieri-Low], Professor of Early Chinese History at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Trained at Harvard (M.A., 1997) in East Asian Studies \u00a0and Princeton (Ph.D. 2001 in Chinese Art and Archaeology, I have wide-ranging interests in\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_5297-768x1024.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_5297-768x1024.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_5297-768x1024.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":166,"url":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/?page_id=166","url_meta":{"origin":11,"position":1},"title":"Computer Reconstruction of the Wu Family Cemetery","author":"barbieri-low@history.ucsb.edu","date":"October 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"(New version 2.0 - including tablet, mobile, and VR support, and native Chinese version) EXPLORE THE \u201cWU FAMILY SHRINES\u201d! CHOOSE YOUR VERSION BELOW Due to an implementation issue with Safari (especially in iOS), it is best to run this in Google Chrome for now. In Chrome, you can also download\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Artisans-e1445891125399.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Artisans-e1445891125399.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Artisans-e1445891125399.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":162,"url":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/?page_id=162","url_meta":{"origin":11,"position":2},"title":"Lectures","author":"barbieri-low@history.ucsb.edu","date":"October 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Listen to and Watch Professor Barbieri's Lectures! These recorded lectures are based on classroom lectures or public talks I have given. \u00a0They are presentations which include both the audio of the lecture and the PowerPoint slides with animations. Some of the more recently posted lectures are mobile capable and one\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/WindowAncient-e1445891236746.jpg?fit=547%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/WindowAncient-e1445891236746.jpg?fit=547%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/WindowAncient-e1445891236746.jpg?fit=547%2C410&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":416,"url":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/?page_id=416","url_meta":{"origin":11,"position":3},"title":"Computer Model of the Tomb of Sennedjem","author":"barbieri-low@history.ucsb.edu","date":"October 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"As part of my coursework at UCLA in Egyptology, I enrolled in a seminar in tombs in the Theban area. \u00a0I chose to use my computer reconstruction skills to make an interactive tomb model of Theban tomb no. 1, the tomb of Sennedjem, one of the first unplundered tombs ever\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/ngg_featured\/sennedjem.jpg?fit=740%2C554&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/ngg_featured\/sennedjem.jpg?fit=740%2C554&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/ngg_featured\/sennedjem.jpg?fit=740%2C554&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/ngg_featured\/sennedjem.jpg?fit=740%2C554&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16,"url":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/?page_id=16","url_meta":{"origin":11,"position":4},"title":"Reviews","author":"barbieri-low@history.ucsb.edu","date":"October 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Excerpts from Reviews and Endorsement Blurbs for\u00a0Parallel Journeys: Eurasian History Through Travelers' Eye (400 BCE-1936) An excellent way to get students thinking about how cross-cultural contact changes over time is to read what travelers wrote in different eras. Anthony Barbieri-Low makes this easy for instructors by pairing accounts from travelers\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Timecover","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.history.ucsb.edu\/faculty\/barbierilow\/wp-content\/uploads\/Timecover.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":447,"url":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/?page_id=447","url_meta":{"origin":11,"position":5},"title":"Artifacts of the Ancient World in 3D","author":"barbieri-low@history.ucsb.edu","date":"October 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"As part of my Getty Research Institute Fellowship in 2011, I learned how to use video game engines to make virtual museums. \u00a0Taking the dozens of objects I had digitized over the last few years, especially those from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, I created a demo program of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/virtualgallery-e1445891341339.jpg?fit=613%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/virtualgallery-e1445891341339.jpg?fit=613%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/virtualgallery-e1445891341339.jpg?fit=613%2C410&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1667,"href":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11\/revisions\/1667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbierilow.faculty.history.ucsb.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}