Shang Dynasty BCE  Chinese civilization is one of oldest, continuous on earth  5,000 years of history

Outside China during Shang period  Hammurabi’s code  Mycenaean Civ. In Greece  Vedic period in India  Stonehenge  Moses led Israelites out of Egypt  Mayans processed rubber  King Tut  Homer’s Troy fell  Ramses III of Egypt

Neolithic settlements in Yangtze & Yellow river valleys  Yangshao-painted pottery  Longshan-black pottery

Shang Dynasty c BCE  Impressive bronze technology  Oracle bones— beginning of writing system

Important ideas from Shang Notion of supreme heavenly power— Shangdi (god above) Belief in power of spirits of ancestors to affect events on earth Importance of rituals venerating ancestors & role of king in performing rituals

Shang was agricultural society Therefore rituals To facilitate ancestor reverence Manifested in bronzes & oracle bones

Emergence of state level society  Complex society  Often called “civilization”  Or “state-level” society  In China shifts toward state-level society began the dynastic phase of Chinese history

Shang culture characterized by: Centralized government Urban communities Stratified social classes Palatial architecture Distinctive writing system Elaborate religious rituals Sophisticated art forms

Shang culture characterized by Bronze metallurgy Horse drawn chariot Ability to mobilize human labor for huge projects/corvee labor Relatively accurate calendar Money in form of cowrie shells Pantheon of gods Complex lineage structure

Shang musical instruments  Music used as “civilizing” influence in state rituals Drums Bells Chiming stones ocarinas

“Auspicious Bronzes of the State” 9 ding representing 9 provinces King Yu of the Xia cast after bringing floods under control Dings passed to Shang & later to Zhou Possession was symbol of power & prestige m

Shang economic features Tamed water buffalo Cultivated rice in south Grain grown in north

Leaders addicted to: Warfare Hunting Wine Human & animal sacrifice

Leaders engaged in military expeditions Plunder & tribute part of royal economy New weapons part of passion for hunting Hunting good practice for warfare

Ancestor reverence Ultimate source of political power was royal ancestors Deceased ministers had some influence Dead went to Heaven Intercede on behalf of descendants So ritual life of Shang court was sequence of sacrifices to ancestors

Bronze metallurgy  Bronze vessels necessary for ritual sacrifice  Vessels for wine  Vessels for food  Vessels for water  Musical instruments  nze.htm nze.htm

Divination/Oracle Bones Important actions required divination Tortoise shell or animal shoulder blade Questions about warfare, weather, life decisions acle/oracle.html