Chapter 20 Shang Dynasty (shung)

China’s Dynasties

The Shang Dynasty Ruled from 1700- 1122 B.C.E Ruled around the Huang He (Yellow River) Clans (extended families) ruled parts of Ancient China and were led by warrior kings. Constant warfare between clans One clan would dominate and create a dynasty: a family or group that rules for several generations

Usually made from turtle shells or blade of cow The Shang Dynasty Western scholars believed the Shang dynasty was a myth due to no archeological evidence 1899- Chinese scholar found bones with writing on them. They were thought to be oracle bones that told future 1920’s- ruins of the Shang city found at Anyang Usually made from turtle shells or blade of cow

Ruins at Anyang Anyang was one royal city of the Shang Had a palace, temple, houses, & workshops where artisans worked with bronze, pottery, stone & jade Kings palace was made of mud-plastered walls held with wooden posts and was raised on a platform. Bones were found under palace that suggest human sacrifices were performed when royal palaces were built! Human sacrifice: a person who is killed as part of a religious ritual

Ruins at Anyang Shang believed in an afterlife When the king died, servants, slaves, & animals were led down a ramp and killed so they could serve him in the afterlife Bronze vessels, food, bronze weapons, jade ornaments, bone carvings, pottery, stone sculptures, & chariots were also buried with king!

Government Led by a powerful king who controlled land Expanded power by setting up smaller kingdoms under younger brothers or nephews Shang kings DEPENDED on strong armies to maintain rule! Armies were powerful because the nobles had weapons of bronze. Shang were one of first to mix copper & tin = bronze Armies: Foot soldiers Archers Cavalry riding elephants & horses Fighters in chariots

Social Classes 6 social classes King & family: Highest rank Nobles: Fought in army, provided weapons, foot soldiers, & chariots. King did not control their land in exchange for service. Life of luxury. Leisure time spent hunting Kings gave them jade disks as a symbol of power to post on homes.

Social Classes Craftspeople: Small class that included bronze & jade workers, potters, & stonemasons. Lower status than nobles, but higher than farmers Traders: Shang were believed to trade extensively Modern Chinese word for merchant is shang ren (also means shang man) Mostly traded goods, but used cowrie shells (a type of seashell) as money.

Social Classes Farmers: Largest class Worked on small plots of the Noble’s land: Not own! Grew millet, wheat, barley, rice, fruit, veggies, & nuts. Some raised cattle. They were only allowed to keep enough food for their family. The rest went to their noble, who in turn sent some to king. Used simple tools made of wood & stone Slaves: Very bottom Often captured in war Built tombs & palaces Sacrificed when master died so they could serve in afterlife.

Religion Centered on ancestor worship: honoring ancestors through rituals, such as offering food & wine to dead. Believed that ancestors: Had power to help or harm them Gave the king the power to rule because his ancestors were powerful Could give advice to kings using oracle bones **King would make a statement: “Tomorrow is a good day for the hunt”, then pressed a hot needle against the back of the bone. The heat would make the bone crack and the pattern of the crack gave a message.

Writing Oracle bones are the earliest pieces of writing. Characters stand for words, rather than sounds First pictographs were used (image stands for object), then logographs: a written character that represents a word. (ex. “good” is a combination of characters for “woman” & “child”. This Unified the Chinese people = all classes used the same writing!

Art & Technology Art: Bronze working: vessels, taotie masks (horns of ox, ears of elephant, talons of bird, eye of man) Thought to be symbol of all beginnings of the world. Jade pieces: hardness of jade represented the quality of a superior person. Smooth & shiny = kindness Technology: Bronze was part of technology Used for war tools (arrowheads, spearheads, helmets, ax heads) Was a Huge reason Shang remained in power for more than 500 years!

End of Shang Dynasty Shang excelled in war Ruling class had massive wealth that they spent on palaces, furnishings, clothing, even tombs. This caused the economy *to weaken which weakened the dynasty! *A system of managing the wealth of a country or region. 1045 B.C.E.- Zhou (joh) rose up against the dynasty under King Wu & caught the Shang unaware. Story has it that the last Shang king ran from the battlefield, put on all his jewelry, and threw himself into a fire.