THE SHANG DYNASTY

The Shang Ruled between1600 BC and 1046 BC

Timeline of its Rulers 1676 BC- King Tang of Shang ruled. 1400 BC- The Erligang Culture ruled. 1398 BC- King Pan Geng ruled. King Wu Ding ruled 1250,1122 BC. 1101 BC- King Di Yi ruled. King Zhou ruled 1075,1046 BC.

King Tang of Shang

Accomplishments The Shang made

the earliest glazed pottery.

Also, evidence was found for a potter’s wheel in the.

Bronze casting was industrialized in this dynasty.

Pottery with a carved geometric pattern, Shang Dynasty, 1600-1100 BC.

Accomplishments The Shang

determined that the year was 364 ¼ days long.

The First Appearance of Chinese script was in this dynasty.

They made Steppe-like war Chariots.

This is what a Steppe-like war Chariot looked like.

Economy Most of the economy was focused on

bronze-ware vessels and weapons. This production required a large labor

force. The labor force had to be able to handle

the mining, refining, and transportation of the necessary copper, tin, and lead ores.

This is the bronze pot that a Nobleman or Noblewoman would own.

Economy This in turn created a need for official

managers that could oversee both hard-laborers and skilled artisans and craftsmen.

Bronze was also used in the fittings of spoke-wheeled chariots, which came into widespread use in China by 1200 BC

Religion The Shang Kings offered sacrifices to

royal ancestors and the high god Di. Di was believed to be responsible for the

rain, wind, and thunder.

This picture shows the Shang god Di.

Religion The royal Court and Aristocrats required a

vast amount of bronze vessels for ceremonial purposes and events of religious divination.

Shang kings asserted social supremacy by acting as the High Priests.

The Shang kings also lead the divination ceremonies.

This is a Shang Dynasty bronze pou vessel with four ram heads.

Government The Shang Dynasty was an Aristocratic

society. A King Also ruled over the military

nobility. Territorial rulers were appointed by the

King of the Shang. This was done in return for Support in the

king military campaigns.

Government Underneath the aristocratic class was the

Priest class. The priests kept the records of the

government and also, were in charge of religion.

This is the capitol of the Shang now.

Social Scale The social scale was lead by a priest king. Below the priest king there were the

aristocrats.

The Social Division of the Shang was simple and well-defined.

Social Scale The aristocrats are divided into two

different social classes. One of these social classes was the

Nobility. The other of the two was the commoners.

This shows two nobles.

Philosophy The oldest documents of Chinese Script

date from King Wu Ding’s reign, about 1150 BC.

The documents are actually archival materials incised on oracle bones stored in the royal archives.

This is a Shang Dynasty oracle bone from the Shanghai Museum.

Philosophy A second type of writing is the scarce

inscriptions on ritual bronze vessels. Another type of literature of the Shang is

the speeches of rulers. The speeches are in the Shangshu, also

called Shujing, the “Book of Documents.”

Fall of the Shang Shang Zhou, the last Shang king,

committed suicide after his army was defeated by the Zhou people.

After the Shang were defeated, the Zhou king, King Wu of Zhou, allowed Wugeng Lufu to rule the Shang as a service kingdom.

This shows King Wu of Zhou.

Fall of the Shang Wugeng Lufu was Shang Zhou’s son. Zhou Wu sent three of his brothers and

an army to ensure that Wugeng Lufu would not rebel.

After Zhou Wu’s death, the Shang rebelled and collapsed after three years, leaving Zhou in control of Shang territory.