Shang Civilisation Research

Research
-One of the dynasties was the Shang dynasty. The Shang dynasty developed in the Yellow River Valley from 1700 B.C. to 1100 B.C.

-The Shang civilization was based on agriculture, hunting, and raising animals. They grew wheat, barley, and millet. They also raised pigs, dogs, sheep, oxen, and silk worms. The Shang people lived in tiny houses that were built partially underground. The ground provided insulation for the houses. The people had to pay part of each harvest to the king.

-The priests try to predict the future by using oracle bones. They would write a question in an oracle bone and then drill a hole in it. From these bones, we learn about their rulers, eclipses, and many other things about the ancient Chinese.

 Shang craftsmen also make beautiful silk clothes and jade ornaments and their families.

-The Shang dynasty was headed by a king which ruled over his capital city and the surrounding area. Because their kingdoms were so large, nobles ruled other parts of the land. Nobles were usually the king's relatives. They were required to pay tribute or give military service to the king. The priests kept records of the government and were also in charge of religion.

-One of their special skills was bronzemaking. Artists would make a model in clay and then make a mold of the model. The bronze was poured into the mold.

Oracle Bones

-The Information and details inscribed onto oracle bones matched what

was recorded in texts written centuries later, thereby providing the

evidence scholars needed. The oracle bone inscriptions and the

bronze inscriptions mark the beginning of written Chinese history.

-The king or professional diviners hired by the king used oracle

bones to make predictions about the future or to answer questions

-By analyzing oracle bone inscriptions, other artifacts, and

archaeological sites such as tombs and ancient cities, scholars have

been able to piece together many details of Shang civilization.

They have confirmed the names of its kings, its style of government,

its military history, its religious beliefs and rituals, and its society.

The Kingdom

-The Shang Dynasty was a monarchy governed by a series of kings, 29 or 30 in total, over the

course of almost 600 years. The king was served by officials who held specialized positions of authority and function; and the officials belonged to a hereditary class of aristocrats, usually related to

the king himself.

-While the king lived in and ruled from a capital city, it wasn’t always the same city. No one knows exactly why a king would move the capital but some scholars think it had to do with internal power struggles within the royal family.

-Archaeological evidence suggests that the town of Shang was the ancestral capital of the dynasty that remained in a fixed location throughout the dynasty. It was where the Shang kings kept their most sacred ancestral temples, tablets, and regalia.

REFLECTION

I learnt that Shang Civilisation has different occupations mostly were farmers, traders, priests and craftsmen who made intricate bronze objects such as weapons, wine cup and jars.

Even modern craftsmen using the latest technology find it very hard to make exact copies of these objects. They also made beautiful silk clothes and jade ornaments for the kings and their families.

Oracle bones were use by priest to tell the future as they would interpret cracks produced on the bones by applying heat as giving answers to questions about the future. These bones were usually the shoulder bones of sheep or cows and turtles shells. Those farmers lived in sunken houses with low walls and thatched roofs, as these houses would keep people warm during winter and cool during summer.

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