The
Seven Military Classics were seven important military texts of ancient
China, which also included Sun-tzu's
The Art of War. The texts were
canonized under this name during the 11th century AD, and from the time of the
Song Dynasty, were included in most military
encyclopedias. For imperial officers, either some or all of the works were required reading to merit promotion, like the requirement for all
bureaucrats to learn and know the work of
Confucius.