Download Shang Dynasty

For
100 years was considered a myth until
archeological dig of 1928 in Anyang
The ancient China was not one country but
number of clans of extended families led by
warriors. They fought until one clan became
more powerful than the others.
•
 -Led
by a Kind who controlled all land

-to expand his power he set up smaller
kingdoms under his younger brothers and
nephews

-lots of wars were fought to keep the
power

-Bronze is copper and tin, was used to
make Shang weapons (one of the 1st to use
bronze)
King and his relatives
 Nobles-owned land that farmers farmed-hunted
for wild animals (fox, badgers)
 Crafts people-made things out of bronze, jade,
potters, stonemasons
 Traders-the Shangs traded a lot. Used cowrie
shells as money (because they were valuable)
 Farmers-largest social class-farmed noble’s and
kings land-only kept a little for themselves
 Slaves-captured in wars-spent life building tombs
and palaces-when master died slaves sometimes
sacrificed to serve master in afterlife.

-ancestor worship

-Kings believed the dead ancestors gave
advice on when to hung, go to war, build new
city.

-oracle bone-made from turtle shell or
cow’s shoulder blade
 -the way oracle bone worked- holy man asks
question, presses a hot needle against back
of bone, depending on the crack of the bone
the holy man decodes the message. (do
example with paper)

 Writing
-writing on oracle bones are among the
earliest known examples of Chinese writing

-logographs=Chinese characters=words
 Art

-jade=type of stone
 Technology

-Because of Bronze the Shangs remained
in power for over 500 years. (Bronze
weapons saved their butts)

No one knows exactly some say:

-fighting many wars weakened the
military power of Shang

-kings and nobles spent all their money
away

-the king instead of looking after his
kingdom spent too much time on pleasurable
activities.

-when the end of Shang Dynasty came
and the Zhou was taking over, it is said that
the king grabbed all his jewelry and threw
himself into the fire.
