Sun Tzu was an accomplished general and strategist in China who lived during the Spring and Autumn period (771-485BC). His treatise The Art of War is the most famous military text ever written and remains influential to this day. Lionel Giles (1875-1958) served as assistant curator at the British Museum, specialising in Chinese literature and history. He is most notable for his translation of ancient Chinese texts, including The Art of War and The Analects of Confucius .