Download Ancient China

The First Dynasty
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By about 1700 B.C., one kingdom had
won control of the Huang River.
Its earliest capital was called Shang.
The government became known as the
Shang Dynasty.
They would rule the region for the next
600 years and bring many new
advancements to China.
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As the Shang Dynasty’s power grew, they began
creating new towns along the Huang River.
The Shang kings would create these towns by giving
land to their family members, or nobles. These nobles
would then oversee the construction of the new towns
and rule over them.
Each town provided: food, clothing, and other
products for the king and nobles. The townspeople
were also part-time soldiers for protection.
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Near the end of the Shang Dynasty, the
capital was moved to the city of Anyang.
Society here was organized like a pyramid.
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Kings were at the top. Nobles were below
them, and then...craftsworkers… and farmers.
Prisoners-of-War were at the very bottom
Huts were discovered to have been homes
and workshops for metal-workers,
potters, and servants.
Also found were bronze cups, stone
carvings and chariots.
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A royal tomb at Anyang contained many important
artifacts, such as:
 Hundreds of bronze containers, ivory statues,
and other valuable objects.
They are believed to have been from a king’s wife,
Fu Hao.
 Lady Hao led a very successful life. She led
troops to war, ruled her own town, and was
remembered in history.
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A system of writing
existed in Ancient China
that developed over time.
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It began as pictures of
objects, and evolved into
symbols.
Many records were
written on bamboo or silk
as scrolls.
More writing was
discovered on thousands
of “dragon bones” from
cattle or sheep.
They
became known as oracle
bones.
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Priests were believed to
be able to interpret
cracks in the bones and
read the future.
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The Shang believed that their
ancestors lived in another world and
controlled human life.
They were also polytheistic or believed
in many different gods
 They believe when they died they
would join their ancestors and gods.