The Shang Dynasty

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The Shang Dynasty

• By Bailey and Adele
• English I- Louise S. McGehee School
• 2005

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Description of the Shang Dynasty and their
Civilization

• The Shang dynasty lasted from 1523 to 1027 BC.
• Records show the Shang dynasty is the earliest
  Chinese dynasty.
• Their civilization was made up of towns that were
  ruled under one ruler.
• The houses where made out of mud and wooden
  beams.
• The houses where rectangle shaped.
• People who lived within the city lived in cellars
  and pits.
• In the villages they harvested wheat, millet, and
  barley.
• They used a well-field system, which is a nine
  field system (Sharpe).
• Using this well-field system helped the Shang
  produce crops more efficiently because the fields
  were more nutritious.

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Art
(The Great Bronze Age of China.)

• The time period of art and culture during the
  Shang Dynasty is called the Bronze Age.
• During the Bronze age men learned how to make
  weapons and valuables from bronze and other
  metals.
• The Bronze age began in 1700 B.C. along the
  Yellow River.
• The Bronze age was also a revolution for art
  during the time of the Shang Dynasty. Many people
  began making art from bronze and jade.
• During The Bronze Age kings believed that ruling
  was based on religion.
• Since the rulers believed that ruling was based
  on religion, most kings turned to their ancestors
  for help and guidance.
• Society during the Bronze Age was similar to
  society in medieval Europe.
• Society was similar because it has social classes
  such as peasants, kings, and high priests.

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Culture

• The Shang Dynasty was the first dynasty to invent
  a writing system and an alphabet.
• The first calendar was invented during the time
  of the Shang Dynasty.
• The calendar and writing system are the main
  reasons that the Shang Dynasty had an influence
  on China.

( Picture of Jade Artifact)
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(Shang Dynasty.)
The gray area shown below is the area in which
the Shang Dynasty was settled.
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Religion

• The people of the Shang Dynasty worshiped the
  Shang Ti.
• This religion was primarily based on ancestor
  worship.
• The ancestor worship later became the base of
  present day Chinese religion, Confucianism.
• Sacrifices were often made because of the Shangs
  religious beliefs. They were made for special
  occasions or deaths of important people.
• The Shang people would also incorporate ancient
  oracle bones into their religions because they
  were thought of as good luck.

(Picture of Oracle Bone)
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Cool Facts!

• The Shang had a writing system with over 3,000
  symbols (The Shang Dynasty).
• The average citizen during the Shang Dynasty
  usually raised pigs, dogs, sheep, oxen, or silk
  worms (The Shang Dynasty).
• The people during the Shang Dynasty discovered
  oracle bones, which were ancient bones blessed by
  priests.
• Priests would try to predict the future using
  oracle bones by writing a question, creating a
  hole in the bone, and waiting to see if the bone
  cracked. If the bone cracked, that usually meant
  something bad would happen (The Shang
  Dynasty).
• The Shang dynasty declined because of some bad
  kings (The Shang Dynasty).
• Their main achievements were math, science, and
  mastering the art of bronze (The Shang
  Dynasty).

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Works Cited

• Greenhalg, Michale. Shang House. Shang Dynasty.
  2004. Vandyck. 4 January 2005. http//vandyck.anu.
  edu.au/work/teach/context/faculty-web.at.nwu.edu/a
  rt-history/fraser/b40/F1040/F-1040-012.JPEG
• Picture of Oracle Bone. Ancient China. Ed.
  Ellie Crystal. 10 January 2005.
• http//www.crystalinks.com/index.html
• Picture of Jade Artifact. The Jade Trade.
  2004. 4 January 2005. http//www.thejadetrade.com/
  ian/images/shanggod1.jpg
• Shang Dynasty. Ancient China. 2004. Minnesota
  State University. 4 January 2005.
• http//www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/anci
  entchina/shang.html
• The Great Bronze Age of China. Asia For
  Educators. 2004. Colombia University. 4 January
  2005. http//afe.easia.columbia.edu/china/art/tch_
  brnz.htmThe20Bronze20Age
• The Shang Dynasty. Early China. 1996. North
  Park University Chicago. 4 January 2005.
  http//campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/China
  /Shang.html
• The Shang Dynasty. Lycos Search Engine. Tripod.
  5 January 2005. http//members.tripod.com/jonbyr
  djonbyrd/shang.html
• The Shang. World Civilizations. 1999.
  Washington State University. 4 January 2005.
  http//www.wsu.edu/dee/ANCCHINA/SHANG.HTML