The Shang Dynasty

A Shang Capital City Anyang was the Shang Capital City The city included a palace, a temple, and houses King’s palace sat on a platform, the bones found under the palace makes archeologists believe that human sacrifices were performed Human sacrifices were part of the Shang burials Animals, servants, slaves were led down ramps to be sacrificed, they believed that they would serve the king in their afterlife Treasures found in tombs were included bronze weapons, carved jade ornaments, bone carvings, pottery, stone sculptures, and chariots

Shang Government The Shang government was powerful Depended on strong armies to maintain their rule Shang’s army was made up of large numbers of soldiers They were the first people to discover how to make bronze from copper and tin Constantly were engaged in war They were a terrifying threat to their enemies

Shang Social Classes The Shang Dynasty had six social classes King/Emperor-Highest in Authority and Power Nobles-Second highest in authority/power. Lived in great palaces. Went hunting with king. Craftspeople-Small social class, bronze workers were especially valued, they made weapons used by Shang warriors

Shang Social Classes Traders-Ranked below Nobles, but above farmers. People mostly traded goods. They traded with neighboring regions Farmers-Largest social class in the Shang society. They raise pigs & chicken. They grew wheat, barley, fruits, and vegetables. Slaves-The lowest social class. They built tombs & palaces. They were often captured in wars.

Religion Under The Shang How did the Shang connect with their ancestors? They offered their dead ancestors wine and food to help them, and sometimes sacrificed humans Believed kings had the power to rule because they descended from powerful ancestors Kings used oracle bones to ask their ancestors for advice. The holyman carved the questions onto the oracle bones.

Writing & Art Under the Shang Shang artists showed great skill working with bronze The most common picture was an animal mask, later known as tootie In Chinese writing characters stand for words rather than sounds A logograph is characters that stand for words Crafts people made beautiful vessels and other art

Technology Under the Shang & The End Of the Shang Dynasty The strengths of the Shang Dynasty is what led to the end of the dynasty Fighting so many wars eventually weakened the military power of the Shang The lavish spending weakened the economy A later king would say that the final blow was the corruption of the last Shang King