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7.01
Huang River
Welcome to ancient China!
For this assignment, you will take a
short quiz, about 6 questions.
Takes notes as we go along and you will
do well!
Geography
• Huang He River flowed through China.
Huang means “yellow”. The river
looked yellow because of the yellow
silt that accumulated from the dust
of the Gobi Desert.
• Himalayan Mountains limited contact
with other cultures.
Around 1600 BCE, the Shang
dynasty began.
It gained control of a number
of nearby groups.
The Shang kings were warriors.
They expanded their lands
through conquest. Shang armies
had as many as 5,000 men.
They were well-organized and well-armed. Their
bronze helmets, knives, axes, and bronze-tipped
spears gave them an advantage over other nearby
peoples.
The Shang dynasty lasted for nearly 600 years.
Social structure of Shang
society
Kings
Nobles
Farmers (largest group)
Kings were high priests
Not many slaves, but slaves were sacrificed and buried
with their king.
Religion was polytheistic.
Important features of Shang
dynasty
• Ancestors had the power to make lives
better or worse. Ancestor were worshipped
as well as the gods. Sacrifices were made
(some human).
• Oracle bones – first signs of writing were on
these bones
• Bronze casting made
bowls and pots.
More contributions
• Calendars—astronomers studied the
moon and the sun.
• Bronze for weaponry-bronze is made
by mixing copper and tin. Bronze was
used to make bells, rings, weapons
and tools.
• Silk—made from the cocoons of silk
worms
Please read the lesson to
review what you’ve learned.
Then take the quiz.
Good luck!