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Ancient China

Explore the Shang Dynasty, ancient China's earliest organized civilization along the Yellow River. Discover their government, religion, economy, social structure, and remarkable achievements in writing, bronze weapons, army, and calendar.

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Ancient China

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  1. Ancient China

  2. INDUS RIVER VALLEY CHINA MESOPOTAMIA NUBIA EGYPT The First Civilizations in the World

  3. Geography • Located along the Huang He (Yellow) River • Huang carries loess = fine yellow soil When loess settles, water level rises. Dikes had to be built to keep river from overflowing.

  4. Huang He River

  5. Shang China • Earliest organized Chinese civilization—existed around the same time as Hammurabi in Mesopotamia , Middle/New Kingdoms in Egypt, and end of Indus Valley Civilization. Archeologists discover Anyang, the capital of Shang China, in 1928

  6. Government/Politics • Usually led by a powerful king, although women could lead. • Power passed to brothers or sons of the king when he died (dynasty) • Kings ruled a small area. Loyal clans held the rest. • Kings used their armies to keep them in power • Constantly at war with neighboring clans • Used war was a way to gain land and slaves.

  7. Religion: What did the king do? • Shang kings were closely involved with the religion. • Shang people believed that the king had power to rule because he had powerful ancestors. • King used oracle bones to ask ancestor’s advice. • Questions were written on tortoise or other animal bones and pierced with a hot needle so they cracked. • The pattern of the cracks revealed the answer.

  8. religion • Polytheistic (belief in more than 1 god) • Shang Di: leader of the gods • Practiced “ancestor worship”. Believed gods wouldn’t respond to mere mortals. Believed ancestor spirits could influence gods, help or harm the living. • Gave offerings of wine and food, and sometimes human sacrifice.

  9. Belief in the afterlife • Shang kings were buried with weapons, ornaments, pottery, sculptures, chariots, and servants. • http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/videos/shang-dynasty-human-sacrifice/

  10. Economy • Used cowries shells for money. • Main income came from farming or the harvest of crops • Many farmers also knew how to cultivate the silkworm and weave its tread into beautiful cloth which would be used for clothing • Silk later became China’s main export • Many artisans manufactured weapons, ritual vessels, jewelry, and other items of interest.

  11. Social Structure • Nobles were the second most important people after the Royal Family. • They served in the army and as “warlords” they helped to govern the kingdom’s territories. • Craftspeople: bronze and jade workers, potters, and stonemasons & traders. • Farmers: largest social class. • Did not own their land, it belonged to the king and they gave all their extra crops to the king and nobles. • Slaves: usually people captured in wars, they build tombs and palaces • When their masters died, slaves were sometimes killed so that they could serve their master in the afterlife.

  12. Accomplishments: Writing • oldest examples found on oracle bones • combination of pictographs (images that stand for objects) & ideographs (symbols that stand for words or ideas) • over 10,000 characters • developed calligraphy • the same writing system united China where people spoke different language

  13. Accomplishments: Bronze Weapons • One of the earliest peoples to figure out how to make bronze from copper and tin. Accomplishments: Army Large army made up of foot soldiers, archers, cavalry (soldiers on horseback), elephants, and chariots.

  14. Accomplishments: Calendar • The king issued pronouncements as to when to plant crops based on the Shang calendar. • 360-day year of 12 months of 30 days each based on lunar cycle. • Chinese characters for “moon” was—as it remains—that also for “month.” • Based on solar year as well, the calendar added in extra short months to account for the extra 5 days in a solar year.

  15. What is unique about Ancient China (the Shang)? Choose from Mesopotamia (Sumeria), Egypt, Nubia, or the Indus River Valley. for the following questions: • What early civilization does Ancient China seem to have the most in common politically? Explain. • What early civilization does Ancient China seem to have the most in common socially? Explain. • What early civilization does Ancient China seem to have the most in common socially? Explain. .

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