Transcript The Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty
Chapter 20
Key Vocabulary for Chapter 20
 Human
sacrifices
 Clan
 Ancestor
worship
 Logographs
 Economy
20.1 Introduction

Scholars believed a clan called the Shang were (pronounced Shung) a
myth.
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In 1899, a Chinese scholar found some bones with inscriptions on
them.
These were studied and scholars learned the bones were “oracle
bones” or bones used to tell the future.
Oracle bone pit
In the 1920’s, ruins of a Shang city at Anyang were
discovered and many artifacts were uncovered.
 Why
are artifacts important to archeologist?
20.1 Introduction continued:

Ancient China was not one country, but was a number of clans that
were led by a warrior king.

Rival clans often fought each other.
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What are some reasons you think rival clans fought each other?
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The Shang clan was one clan that eventually become more powerful
than the rest and was able to control Ancient China.

The Shang Dynasty ruled Ancient China from 1700 B.C.E to 1122 B.C.E.
20.2 A Shang Capital City

What was learned about The Shang Dynasty from the ruins in Anyang are as follows:
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City included a palace, a temple, and houses.
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There were workshops for artisans.
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Under the foundation of the king’s palace, human bones were found.
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Why do you think human bones were found under the king’s palace?
Answer: Human Sacrifice.
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Human Sacrifice: when a person is killed as a part of a religious ritual.
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9 Royal tombs were found.
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When a king was buried, slaves, servants, and animals were also
brought into the tomb alive and were sealed in with the dead king.
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Why were the kings buried with slaves, servants, and animals who were
still alive?
Answer: The Shang believed in the afterlife.
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Because of their belief in the afterlife, Kings were often buried with:
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bronze weapons
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bone carvings
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stone sculptures
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chariots
Royal Tomb
20.3 Shang Government
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Shang government was led by a powerful king.
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King set up smaller kingdoms to be run by younger brothers and nephews.
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Why would the king set up smaller kingdoms to be run by family members?
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Had strong armies to maintain rule.
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Fought to keep other clans under control.
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Kings armies were more powerful due to weapons being made out of bronze.
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The Shang were among the first to learn how to make bronze.
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Bronze is a mixture of copper and tin.
Shang army was made up off:
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Large number of foot soldiers.
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Calvary riding horses and elephants
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Archers
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Soldiers in chariots drawn by horses
20.4 Shang Social Classes
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Shang society can be divided up into six social classes:
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Ruling family:
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Made up of the king and his relatives
Nobles
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Often fought in the kings army
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Owned land
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Enjoyed a large number of freedoms such as hunting, governing their own land without
interference from the king, and enjoyed a life of luxury
Craftspeople
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Group included bronze and jade workers
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Potters
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Stonemasons
Traders
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Traded goods with neighboring regions
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Used cowrie shells (type of seashell) as money
20.4 Shang Social Classes continued:
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Farmers
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Largest social class
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Worked small plots of land growing millet, wheat, barley, rice, fruit, vegetables, and nuts
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Did not own land
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Land they worked were under control by the king or the nobles
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Would only keep the crops to feed themselves. The rest went to the king or nobles who
owned the land
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They also raised pics and chickens
Slaves
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Bottom of the social class
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Were often captured in wars
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Spent most of their lives building tombs and palaces
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When their masters died, they were often used as human sacrifices to serve their masters in
the afterlife
20.5 Religion Under the Shang
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Religion under the Shang centered on ancestor worship.
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Ancestor Worship: honoring ancestors through rituals, such as offering food and
wine to the dead.
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Can you make a connection of ancestor worship to anything we have learned this year or in your own
culture?
The Shang believed in life after death.

i.e. kings burial tombs.
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The Shang believed that kings had the power to rule because they were descended from
powerful ancestors.
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Kings had the duty to follow the wishes of the ancestors.
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Kings used oracle bones to as their ancestors advice on the following:
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When to hunt
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Where to build new cities
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Whether to go to war
Who and how were the oracle bones used?
Oracle Bones
Who and how were the oracle bones used?
20.6 Writing Under the Shang
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Inscriptions on oracle bones were among the earliest known examples of
Chinese writing.
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Characters stand for words rather than sounds
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The Shang used logographs
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Logographs: a written character that represents a word

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Ex. The character for “good” is a combination of the characters for “woman” and “
child.”
Written language helped unify the Chinese people.
20.7 Art Under the Shang
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Shang artist showed great skill
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Made beautiful vessels
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Produced outstanding jade pieces
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Bronze vessels had geometric designs
20.8 Technology Under the Shang
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Developing bronze was an important technological achievement.
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Craftspeople used bronze to make
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Tools of war: arrowheads, spearheads, ax heads, and helmets.
The development of bronze is one the chief reasons the Shang were able to
remain in power for over 500 years.
20.9 The End of the Shang Dynasty
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The Shang exceled in war and built up tremendous wealth.
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The wars eventually weakened the Shang.
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The king and nobles spent enormous amounts of wealth on their
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Palaces
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Furnishings
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Clothing
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Tombs
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This spending weakened the economy
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Around 1045 B.C.E., a stated called Zhou (pronounced joh) rose up against the
Shang dynasty.
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Zhou armies under the King Wu caught the Shang unaware and were able to defeat
and overthrow the Shang.
King Wu
20.10 Chapter Summary
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The Shang were one of China’s earliest dynasties.
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Ruins and artifacts found at Anyang (The Shang capital) proved they were not a myth.
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The Shang believed in the afterlife.
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Kings were buried with goods, slaves, animals, and servants that would serve them in the afterlife.
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Shang kings were powerful who kept their power through military might.
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The invention of bronze allowed the Shang to build superior weapons that gave them a military
advantage.
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Bronze (mixture of tin and copper).
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The Shang practiced ancestor worship.
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The Shang used oracle bones to communicate with ancestors for advice for important decisions.
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They practiced human sacrifice.
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They ruled in the valley of the Huang He for some 500 years.
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The writing was among some of the earliest Chinese writing and they used logographs for their
writing.