Transcript Huang He River Valley

Huang He
Valley
Ancient Civilizations in China
Geographic Features
• Huang He
Geographic Features
• Huang He
• Himalaya Mountains
Geographic Features
• Huang He
• Himalaya Mountains
• Gobi Desert
Geographic Features
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Huang He
Himalaya Mountains
Gobi Desert
Pacific Ocean
Environmental Challenges
• Huang He floods & leaves loess
Environmental Challenges
• Huang He floods & leaves loess
– Unpredictable flooding
Environmental Challenges
• Huang He floods & leaves loess
– Unpredictable flooding
• 2/3 of China is mountains
Environmental Challenges
• Natural barriers isolated China
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Indus
Valley
Pacific
Ocean
Shang China at
its height
Zhou China at its
height
Settlements
• The Shang Dynasty 1600-1027BCE
• Zhou Dynasty 1027-221BCE
Settlements
• Wealthy houses mostly of wood
• Cities had large walls
– Zhengzhou = Capital of Shang China
Social Classes
• Wealthy and nobles lived inside the cities
– Owned the land
Social Classes
• Wealthy and nobles lived inside the cities
– Owned the land
• Peasants lived outside cities
– Worked on the land
Role of the Family
• Family was center of society
Role of the Family
• Family was center of society
• Oldest men controlled family
Role of the Family
• Family was center of society
• Oldest men controlled family
• Women expected to obey
Role of the Family
• Family was center of society
• Oldest men controlled family
• Women expected to obey
--Girls married young
Religious Beliefs
• Asked spirits of ancestors for good fortune
Religious Beliefs
• Asked spirits of ancestors for good
fortune
• Oracle bones= animal bones priests
used to ask gods questions
Writing System
• Many different dialects, so written language
unified China
Technological Advances
• Chariots
Technological Advances
• Chariots
• Bronze workers
Technological Advances
• Chariots
• Bronze workers
• Silk production
Technological Advances
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Chariots
Bronze workers
Silk production
Coined money
Use of iron tools
Artistry
• Silk embroidery
• Bronze bells
• Jade jewelry
• Jade burial suits during the Zhou Dynasty