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THE SHANG DYNASTY 1700 – 1100 B.C I can describe the life and traditions of people living in the Shang Dynasty of Ancient China SHANG KINGS KING TANG: THE FIRST KING OF THE SHANGE DYNASTY. About 1700 B.C., Shang family kings began to control some cities. They set up a dynasty, or rule by generations of one family. The kings were responsible for religious activities. They claimed to rule with the gods’ permission. Shang kings controlled the central portion of the North China Plain; their relatives ruled distant areas. The Shang used chariots to defend themselves against the nomads who lived to the north and west. They made war with nomadic people like the Zhou (Joh). Leaders of different clans were continuously warring with one another. Warriors were knights wearing bronze armor. These warriors went into battle in horse-drawn chariots made of wood and bronze. Each chariot had a driver, a spearman and an archer. Behind them came the foot soldiers, who were usually peasant farmers forced to leave their fields. They did not have the bronze armor that warrior knights did. SHANG FAMILIES In Shang culture, respect for one’s parents and ancestors was very important. Family was closely tied to religion. The Chinese believed that the spirits of their ancestors could bring good fortune to the family. Families paid respect to the father’s ancestors by making animal sacrifices in their honor. Men ruled within the family. For both the rich and the poor, the family was all important. The oldest male was the head of the family. If one member of a family did something wrong, the entire family was in disgrace. Amongst the nobles, marriages were arranged to strengthen or create a union between two clans or families. The young obeyed their parents without a fuss. This was an important part of ancestor worship. Even a wealthy noble with many servants might patch his father’s robe with his own hands. Children looked forward to the day when they would be parents and their children would worship them. The role of women was to be gentle, calm, respectful, and to obey their husband. In ancient China, home and family were so important they were nearly sacred. DEVELOPING LANGUAGE The Shang Kings claimed to be able to influence the gods to help people. Shang kings received messages from the gods through the oracle bones. These were animal bones or turtle shells on which Shang royal priests scratched questions to the gods. Next, they toughed the bones with heated rods to make them crack. The royal priests interpreted the cracks and scratched the answers on the bones. These scratch marks were an early form of a writing system. http://safeshare.tv/w/kVYwmmcrvX Like other ancient peoples, the Shang developed their system of writing with pictographs. This system of writing used simple drawings, or characters for words or ideas. Compared to the English alphabet of 26 letters, the Chinese system of writing used a huge number of symbols. To be barely able to read and write, a person had to know at least 1,500 characters. An educated person had t know at least 10,000 characters. The unique aspect of the Chinese system of writing is that you can learn to read it without learning to speak it. A person who speaks something other than English can still understand 2+2=4. The writing system in ancient China helped unify a large and varied land.