5-2 Huang Ho Valley
1. Geography – large area - coastal plains and river valleys provided good farmland - barriers -Himalayas - Gobi Desert - rugged plateaus - subtropical forests - Pacific Ocean
- b/c of barriers and location they had limited contact w/others
2. Huang Ho Valley – developed around 2,000BC - no records - legend - Yu the Great (man-god) drove out dragons and serpents,drained the land - founded the Xia Kingdom
- believed people settled near the river for soil BC villages & farms developed - trade and travel - clay ovens - pottery - small round clay houses
3. Shang – 1 st record of dynasty BC built cities - temple and palace - public buildings and high government officials homes built around palace - cities were for rich, educated, & skilled people
- most lived outside of city - produced silk - polytheistic - worshiped spirits - spirits controlled life - ancestors - decided peoples fate - great respect
- Kings received power from spirits & ancestors - used oracle bones - social structure - king - nobles - skilled workers - farmers - #1 occupation
- weapons - horse drawn bronze chariots - battles - bronze helmets - bow and arrows - soldiers - poor farmers
- very few people could read and write language - over 50,000 symbols - houses faced south for sun
4. Decline – division of classes probably weakened the civilization - they could not fight off invaders - fell about 1122BC to the Zhou -Wu Wang the “Martial King”
5. Zhou – dynasty 1122BC-256BC - introduced the Mandate of Heaven -theory invented by Zhou -The right to rule is granted by Heaven. -There is only one Heaven therefore only 1 ruler -The right to rule is based on the virtue of the ruler -The right to rule is not limited to one dynasty
-positive and negative effects -gives the ruler prestige and religious importance -gives the ruler supreme power -allows new to quickly become powerful b/c he has the blessing -power must be kept in check by virtue -justifies overthrow as long as it is successful