The Shang Dynasty

Characteristics Important Facts, Evidence, Explanation The government was led by a king who controlled china. Mostly the power of being emperor or king was passed down from generation to generation (family member). This government had very powerful armies. The armies made their weapons out of bronze, copper, and tin. China was constantly at war because there were many enemy states that wanted to control or conquer china. In some wars they captured prisoners for laborers or to use in human sacrifices. In my opinion chinas army might have been powerful and dangerous. The Shangs believed in life after death. People in China worshipped a lot of different gods- weather gods and sky gods - and also a higher god who ruled over the other gods, called Shang-Ti. People who lived during the Shang Dynasty also believed that their ancestors their parents and grandparents became like gods when they died, and that their ancestors wanted to be worshipped too, like gods. Each family worshipped their own ancestors. The social structure was divided into 6 sections. The emperor was the ruler and had a great life full of wealth. The first class as the palace courts, nobles, and government officials. The nobles served in the kings army and provided weapons. For exchange the king didnt bother or rule the nobles as harshly. The nobles life had wealth and a bit of hunting in free time. China was a great place to hunt because of all the wild life. The second class was the peasants. The peasants were craftsmen and they learned how to make pottery, baskets and wove cloth. The Chinese farmers also made ritual objects from jade such as knives, axes and rings. The third class was the artisans. The artisans works in jade, such as jewelry, figurines, and personal care items. The fourth class is the merchants.

Government:

Religion:

Social structure:

The Shang Dynasty

Characteristics Important Facts, Evidence, Explanation Merchants were a neglected lot. They were not given much importance in the social life. During the time of wars, merchants were not protected by the government. They were not allowed to enter the boundaries of the city till the war ended. The merchants were expected to defend themselves without any kind of help from the authorities. The slaves were treated harshly and didnt get enough money to buy food and things for needs.

Technology:

Ancient Chinese civilization claims credit for many discoveries and invention of technologies like discovery of gunpowder or technology of manufacturing paper. Some of the other rare technologies that were invented in ancient China were firearms, seism scope (device used to detect earthquakes), that was made by Zhang Heng and was named as Houfeng Didong Yi. Four Chinese inventions that are regarded as the greatest technologies developed by Chinese civilization are; compass technology of paper making, printing and gunpowder. China's main foods included rice, millet, sorghum and wheat. These grains formed the basis of most peasants' diets. The wealthy ate pork and chicken in addition to these grains.

Stable Food Supply:

Art:

Shangs artists worked great with bronze. , Music, Opera, Painting, Cloisonn, Jade, Kites, Lacquer Ware, Paper-Cuttings, Porcelain, Pottery, Seals, and Silk
Chinese writing is written in characters. The characters were originally pictures of animals. The oracle bones were used for talking to the gods.

Writing:

The Shang Dynasty

Characteristics Important Facts, Evidence, Explanation
Someone would right a question on the oracle bone, and then they'd put a hot rod to crack the bone. Last, royal priests would interpret the cracks. A vessel is a hollow utensil, such as a cup, vase, or pitcher, used as a container, especially for yellow liquid.