Shang Dynasty (The Bronze Age)

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Shang Dynasty (The Bronze Age)
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Quick Review

• What continent is China located on?
• Name the two major rivers.
• What isolated China from the rest of the world?

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Shang

• It was the first dynasty
• Established by the 1500s BC
• Lasted 700 years
• 30 different kings ruled during this dynasty
• Strongest in the Huang He Valley
• Ruled a broad area of Northern China
• They moved their capital numerous times to avoid
  floods or attacks by their enemy
• Known for human sacrifices

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Cities

• Had protective walls that were 30 ft high, 65 ft
  thick and 4 miles long
• Inside the walls lived the Royal Family, priests
  and warriors
• Artisans lived outside
• the walls in mud houses
• that were built up against
• the wall
• Farmers lived in villages
• outside the walls

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Shang Social Order

• Shang had an organized social order
• 1. Royal Family and Nobles
• 2. Warriors
• 3. Artisans
• 4. Farmers
• 5. Slaves

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Top level-1

• The King-Was at the center of Shang political and
  religious life
• Lived in large homes made of
• Mud and wood
• Hunting was a favorite past-
• time

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• Nobles- job was to advise the
• king, they owned a lot of land
• that they passed down to their
• Sons
• Lived in large, brick homes with tiled roofs
• Homes were lavishly decorated and furnished

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Level 2

• Warriors-fought for the
• dynasty
• Wore bronze armor
• Used chariots made of
• bronze and wood
• Each chariot had a driver,
• spearman and an archer
• Carried daggers, spears,
• and axes

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Level 3-Artisans

• Lived in groups outside the city walls
• Made weapons, pottery, tools, clothing

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Level 4 Farmers

• Most people were
• farmers
• Worked long hours and had little money
• Most of the money they made had to be paid to the
  government in taxes
• They didnt own the land
• Had to give the nobles part of the food they grew

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Level 5 Slaves

• Lowest rank
• They were an important
• source of labor

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Advances

• Came up with Chinas first writing system-a lot
  of the
• symbols used today
• in Chinese language
• come from those
• made during the
• Shang Dynasty

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Oracle Bones

• Priests carve
• questions about the
• future on bones
• They put the bones over a fire and the bones
  crack
• The priests thought they could read the cracks
  to predict the future

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Advances

• Beautiful bronze
• containers for cooking and religious ceremonies
• Axes
• Knives
• Ornaments from jade
• War chariots
• Bow
• Bronze body armor
• Calendar based on the cycle of the moon

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A tradition that is still practiced today

• Ancestor Worship-worshiping and praying to family
  members who are deceased
• Offer gifts, such as meat or wine to ancestors to
  show respect
• If you didnt offer gifts, natural disaster would
  occur
• Would often build temples for ancestors
• Inside the home their was and altar to pray to
  their ancestors