Shang Dynasty 1700 BCE to 1100 BCE

Contributions First true dynasty in China Creators of Chinese writing, allowing government to keep records Known for their use of jade, bronze, horse-drawn chariots, ancestor worship, highly organized armies and human sacrifice.

Living arrangements Cities were surrounded by protective walls. Inside these walled cities lived the rulers, priests, and warriors. Merchants and craftsmen lived in mud houses built up against the outside walls of the cities. Farmers lived in nearby villages.

Ancestor Worship Very important to the early Shang kings and nobles. A way of life. When a man died, the ancient Chinese believed his spirit lived on in the afterworld. They believed their ancestors had magical powers that could punish them or could help them make wise decisions. To keep their ancestors happy, they brought gifts of food and wine to special places or temples. They held many celebrations to honor their ancestors.

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. In the nobles, marriages were arranged to strengthen or to create a union between two clans or families.

Family The young obeyed their parents without a fuss. This was 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 honor them. The role of the woman was to be gentle, calm, respectful, and to obey her husband. In ancient China, home and family were so important that they were nearly sacred.

Spring Festival They enjoyed the Spring Festival. At about age 15, children from several villages would gather for the Spring Festival. Unlike the nobles, marriages were rarely arranged. Boys and girls met each other at the Spring Festival, when the young boys and girls found husbands and wives.

Oracle Bones To communicate with their ancestors, the Shang emperors used oracle bones. The emperor would ask a question. The priest would carve the emperor’s question on a turtle shell. Then, the priest would heat a bronze pin and hold the hot pin to the bone. This created a pattern of cracks over the bone. The priest (usually a woman) would study the cracks to find the answer to the question.

Oracle Bones Archaeologists have found over 100,000 oracle bones. Since many questions were asked about daily life, we know some things about this civilization. They say things like: "If we sacrifice 10 men or 5 oxen, will it rain tomorrow?"

Sacrifice The Shang kings sacrificed a great number of people to talk to their ancestors. Some were enemies, captured in war. Some were slaves or people who were sick or deformed. Some were merchants, craftsmen or farmers who had upset the nobles. Some were nobles who had upset the king

Sacrifice When a king died, hundreds of slaves and prisoners were often sacrificed and buried with him, along with animals. People were also sacrificed in lower numbers when important events, such as the founding of a palace or temple, occurred.

Burial Rituals Shang emperors were buried with living people. In their tombs, archaeologists have found entire chariots, objects of art and the remains of guards and dogs who accompanied kings to their graves.

Warriors The leaders of different clans were continually waging war with each other. Warriors were knights in bronze armor who went to battle in horse-drawn chariots made of wood and bronze. They wore bronze helmets, and carried daggers, spears, and axes. Each chariot had a driver, a spearman and an archer. Behind them, came the foot soldiers, who were usually peasants, forced to leave their fields. Foot soldiers wore tunics and trousers.

Merchants and Craftsmen Since this group did not produce food and were not part of the nobility, they were outside the class structure. Like slaves, they were hardly considered men. In times of war, when the city was attacked, they were not taken inside the protective walls, but were left to fend for themselves as best they could.

Farmers Most people were farmers (peasants). Their life was very hard. Farmers lived in nearby villages. Their homes were very simple. In the summer, peasants lived on the land near their fields. Summer homes were made of bamboo branches. In the winter, they moved to their permanent homes in the villages. Winter homes were drafty, one room houses with thatched or tile roofs, dirt floors and no furniture. The walls were made of mud. Doors faced south. Each family had their own winter home.

Farming They farmed small plots of land with primitive stone and wood tools. They did not own the land. They worked the land assigned to them by the royals and the nobles. They had to give the nobleman part of the food they grew. They were also expected to give gifts to the nobleman of wine or silk. They worked without pay on the noble's house, roads, and bridges. They pretty much worked all the time.

Gods Their gods were the gods of nature, the River God, the Rain God, the Earth God etc.. They believed in many gods, but the most powerful was the Sky God, T'ien, the king of gods. To the peasants, T'ien was more brilliant and more powerful than any earthbound king.