HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD-DHIS411

Dr Amita Gupta
(Assistant Professor)
Bronze Age Civilization

The Shang Civilization of Northern and

Central China
The first dynasty

• Shang Dynasty (c.1600-1046 BCE) was the second dynasty of

China which succeeded the Xia Dynasty (c. 2700-1600 BCE)
after the overthrow of the Xia tyrant Jie by the Shang leader,
Tang.
• Since many historians' question whether the Xia Dynasty really
existed, the Shang Dynasty may have actually been the first in
China and the origin of Chinese culture.
Overview

• The Shang had a number of religious practices, one of which

was veneration of dead ancestors; Shang people made sacrifices
to and asked questions of their ancestors.
• Ancient Chinese nobles sought to tell the future by writing on
bone fragments or pieces of turtle shell and throwing those
bones into a fire; the fortune seekers saw messages about the
future in the cracks that formed.
• Shang dynasty craftspeople mastered bronze, an alloy of copper
and tin; bronze weapons gave Shang foot soldiers and
charioteers a tactical advantage in combat.
Archaeological Evidence

• Shang Dynasty is the oldest Chinese dynasty supported by

archaeological finds.

• These have included 11 major Yin royal tombs and building

sites of palaces and rituals, as well as weapons and remains
of human and animal sacrifices, and artifacts, including
bronze, jade, stone, bone, and ceramic.
Archaeological Evidence
• The oldest surviving form of Chinese writing is inscriptions of
divination records on the bones or shells of animals—so-called
oracle bones.

• However, the writing on the oracle bones shows evidence of

complex development, indicating that written language had existed
for a long time.

• In fact, modern scholars are able to read it because the language was
very similar to the modern Chinese writing system.
Archaeological Evidence

• Archaeologists have also found ancient cities that

correspond with the Shang Dynasty.

• When Cheng Tang overthrew the last king of the Xia

Dynasty, he supposedly founded a new capital for his
dynasty at a town called Shang, near modern-day
Zhengzhou.
Archaeological Evidence

• Archaeological remains of this town may have been found—

it seems to have functioned as a sacred capital, where the
most sacred temples and religious objects were housed.

• This city also had palaces, workshops, and city walls.

Archaeological Evidence

• Anyang, in modern-day Henan, is another important (but

slightly later) Shang city that has been excavated.

• This site yielded large numbers of oracle bones that describe

the travels of eleven named kings.
Archaeological Evidence

• The names and timeframes of these kings match traditional

lists of Shang kings.

• Anyang was a huge city, with an extensive cemetery of

thousands of graves and 11 large tombs—evidence of the
city’s labor force, which may have belonged to the 11 Shang
kings.
 Society Under the Shang Dynasty

• The Shang Dynasty (also called the Yin Dynasty) succeeded

the Xia Dynasty and was followed by the Zhou Dynasty.

• It was located in the Yellow River valley during the second

millennium BCE.

• It featured a stratified social system made up of aristocrats,

soldiers, artisans and craftsmen, and peasants.
 The Aristocracy and the Military

• The aristocracy were centered around Anyang, the Shang capital,

and conducted governmental affairs for the surrounding areas.

• Regional territories farther from the capital were also controlled

by the wealthy.

• The Shang military were next in social status, and who were
respected and honored for their skill.
The Aristocracy and the Military

• There were two subdivisions of the military: the infantry (foot

soldiers) and the chariot warriors.

• The latter were noted for their great skill in warfare and
hunting.

• Archaeological evidence has supported the use of horses and

other cavalry during the late Shang period, c. 1250 BCE.
 Bronze
battle-axe:
A bronze
battle-axe
dated to the
Shang
Dynasty
 Artisans and craftsmen
comprised the middle class of
Shang society.

Their largest contribution was

Artisans and their work with bronze, which
Craftsmen the Chinese developed as early
as 1500 BCE.
Their work with bronze was a
very important aspect of society.
 Bronze weapons and pottery were
commonly made, but the most
prominent creations included ritual
vessels and treasures, many of which
were discovered via archaeological
findings in the 1920s and 1930s.
Artisans and
Craftsmen Shang aristocrats and the royalty
were likely buried with large
numbers of bronze valuables,
particularly wine vessels and other
ornate structures.
Houmuwu Ding:
The “Houmuwu
Ding” is the
heaviest piece of
bronze work
found in China
so far
Peasants
• At the bottom of the social ladder were the peasants, the
poorest of Chinese citizens.
• They comprised the majority of the population and were
limited to farming and selling crops for profit.
• Archaeological findings have shown that masses of peasants
were buried with aristocrats, leading some scholars to believe
that they were the equivalent of slaves.
• However, other scholars have countered that they may have
been similar to serfs.
• Peasants were governed directly by local aristocrats.
 Shang religion was characterized by a
combination of animism, shamanism,
spiritual control of the world, divination,
and respect and worship of dead ancestors,
including through sacrifice.

Different gods represented natural and

Shang mythological symbols, such as the moon,
sun, wind, rain, dragon, and phoenix.
Religion
Peasants prayed to these gods for bountiful
harvests.
Shang Religion
• Festivals to celebrate gods were also common. In particular, the Shang kings,
who considered themselves divine rulers, consulted the great god Shangdi
(the “Supreme Being” who ruled over humanity and nature) for advice and
wisdom.
• The Shang believed that the ancestors could also confer good fortune, so
they would also consult ancestors through oracle bones in order to seek
approval for any major decision, and to learn about future success in
harvesting, hunting, or battle.
 Shangdi: One
depiction of
Shangdi, the
Supreme Being
who ruled over
humanity and
nature.
 The oldest surviving form of Chinese
writing is inscriptions of divination
records on the bones or shells of
animals—so-called oracle bones.

Oracle Oracle bones were pieces of bone or

Bones and turtle shell used by the ancient Chinese,
especially Chinese kings, in attempts to

Divination predict the future.

The ancient kings would inscribe their

name and the date on the bone along
with a question.
Oracle Bones and Divination

• They would then heat the bone until it cracked, and then interpret
the shape of the crack, which was believed to provide an answer to
their question.
• Questions were carved into oracle bones, such as, “Will we win
the upcoming battle?”, or “How many soldiers should we commit
to the battle?”
• The bones reveal a great deal about what was important to Shang
society. Many of the oracle bones ask questions about war,
harvests, and childbirth.
 Oracle Bone:
This oracle
bone from the
Shang
Dynasty dates
to the reign of
King Wu
Ding.
 It appears that there was belief in
the afterlife during the Shang
Dynasty.

Archaeologists have found Shang

The tombs surrounded by the skulls and
Afterlife bodies of human sacrifices.

Some of these contain jade, which

was seen to protect against decay
and give immortality.
 • Archaeologists believed that Shang tombs
were very similar to those found in the
Egyptian pyramids, in that they buried
servants with them.

The • Chinese archaeologists theorize that the

Afterlife Shang, like the ancient Egyptians, believed

their servants would continue to serve them
in the afterlife, so aristocrats’ servants would
be killed and buried with them when they
died. Another interpretation is that these
were enemy warriors captured in battle.
The Burial Pit
at the Tomb of
Lady Fu Hao:
This tomb is
located in the
ruins of the
ancient Shang
Dynasty capital,
Yin.
The Lunar Calendar

• The Shang also established a lunar calendar that was used to

predict and record events, such as harvests, births, and deaths (of
rulers and peasants alike).
• The system assumed a 29-day month that began and ended with
each new moon; twelve lunar months comprised one lunar year.
The Lunar Calendar

• Priests and astronomers were trained to recalculate the lunar year

and add enough days so that each year lasted 365 days.
• Because the calendar was used to time both crop planting and the
harvest, the king had to employ skilled astronomers to predict
dates (and successes) of annual harvests; this would help him
maintain support from the people.
Advancements Under the Shang

• During the Shang Dynasty, bronze casting became more

sophisticated.
• Military technology also advanced as horses were
domesticated and chariots came into existence.
Shang Bronze Technology
The Shang ruled China during its Bronze Age;
perhaps the most important technology at the time was
bronze casting.

The Shang cast bronze objects by creating molds out

of clay, carving a design into the clay, and then
pouring molten bronze into the mold.

They allowed the bronze to cool and then broke the

clay off, revealing a completed bronze object.
Shang Bronze Technology
The upper classes had the most access to bronze, and they
used it for ceremonial objects, and to make offerings to
ancestors.
Bronze objects were also buried in the tombs of Shang elite.

The Shang government used bronze for military weapons,

such as swords and spearheads.

These weapons gave them a distinct advantage over their

enemies.
 Shang
Dynasty
Bronze: This
bronze ding
vessel dates
to the Shang
Dynasty.
 • The chariot was military
technology that allowed the Shang
to excel at war.
Shang • Under the Shang, the Chinese
Military domesticated the horse.
Technology • Horses of that time were still too
small to ride, but the Chinese
gradually developed the chariot,
which harnessed the horse’s power.
 • The chariot was a devastating weapon
in battle, and it also allowed Shang
soldiers to move vast distances at
great speeds.
• A chariot burial site at Anyang
Shang (modern-day Henan) dates to the rule
of King Wu Ding of the Shang
Military Dynasty (c. 1200 BCE).
Technology • Oracle bone inscriptions show that the
Shang used chariots as mobile
command vehicles and in royal hunts.
• Members of the royal household were
often buried with a chariot, horses and
a charioteer.
 • These military technologies were
important, because the Shang were
constantly at war.
• A significant number of Shang
Shang oracle bones were concerned with
battle.
Military
• The Shang armies expanded the
Technology borders of the kingdom and
captured precious resources and
prisoners of war, who could be
enslaved or used as human
sacrifice.
 • The oracle bones also show deep
concern over the “barbarians”
Shang living outside the empire, who were
Military a constant threat to the safety and
Technology stability of the kingdom; the
military had to be constantly ready
to fight them.
Shang Dynasty
Bronze Battle
Axe: This
bronze axe is
an example of
Shang bronze
work.
Decline & Fall
The Shang Dynasty may have gone through a brief decline
prior to the founding of Angyang, around 1300 BCE, when
separate states under Shang rule seem to have broken away
economically, if not politically.

Archaeologists have come to this conclusion through a study

of the trade at the time which indicates a rise in the economy
of independent states but not, as before, of the whole region
under Shang control.

This claim is in doubt, however, as the physical evidence is

not decisive.
Decline & Fall
The two greatest emperors after Tang were Pan Geng, who
moved the capital to Yin (so that the dynasty is sometimes
referred to as Yin Shang), and Wu Ding.

Wu Ding is one of the only Shang emperors whose

existence is corroborated by the physical evidence of
archaeology.

He reigned for 58 years from 1250-1192 BCE and during

this time the country developed many of the most
important advances listed above as well as those in
medicine, dentistry, and the fine arts.
Decline & Fall
After Wu Ding's reign the dynasty began to decline until
the last emperor, Zhou (also known as Xin) who forgot his
duty to his people and concentrated on gratifying his own
desires.
He spent most of his time with his concubine Daji and not
only neglected his duties but made his people pay for his
luxuries and idleness.

He became a worse tyrant than Jie of the Xia Dynasty had

been and was finally overthrown by King Wu, of the
province of Zhou, at the Battle of Muye in 1046 BCE.
Decline & Fall
The Shang Dynasty was replaced by the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE)
which began to dissolve in its final years into the phase known as the Warring
States Period (c.481-221 BCE).

During this time, the seven states which had been under Zhou control fought
each other for supreme rule of the country.

The state of Qin (pronounced 'chin') was victorious, and China takes its name
today from the Qin Dynasty. Unlike the Shang or the Zhou, the Qin began
badly and only became worse over time until they were overthrown by the
Han.
The Shang Dynasty, which was responsible for so many important
advancements in culture, was looked back upon as a golden age of prosperity
and, in many ways, it was.
[Documentary]
China's Bronze
Age - Shang
Dynasty (1760 - • https://youtu.be/VRQKp_vjVSY
1520 BC)
Summary

We have discussed in brief the three

civilizations, namely, Egyptian,
Mesopotamian, and Shang during the
Bronze Age.
This Unit has mainly focused on the
lands, geographical features and the
human settlement in three different
geographical areas.
 Reasons for emerging the
cities?
ACTIVIT
Y:
Question? At least two reasons what
made these towns more
successful than those
which were not on any
river bank?
 V. Gordon Childe, What Happened in History, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1942
(numerous reprints thereafter)

V.Gordon Childe, ‘The Bronze Age’, Past and Present, 12 (1957), pp. 2-15.

SUGGESTE D. Webster, ‘On Theocracies’, American Anthropologist, 78 (1976), pp.812-828.

D Paul Wheatley, The Pivot of the Four Quarters, Chicago: Aldine, 1972.

READINGS
FOR THIS K.C.Chang, Shang Civilization, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980.

BLOCK K..C.Chang, Art, Myth and Ritual: The Path to Political Authority in Ancient
China, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983.

J.M.Sasson (editor), Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. New York: Charles
Scribner. Published in several bulky volumes in the 1990s. The chapters are
short and on very specific topics.
J.Gledhill, B.Bender and M.T.Larsen editors, State and Society, London: Unwin
Hyman, 1988.

M.A.Powell (editor), Labour in the Ancient Near East, New Haven: American
Oriental Society, 1987.
 G.M.Feinman and J.Marcus (editors), Archaic States,
Santa Fe: School of American Research Press, 1998.
Especially paper by J.Baines and N. Yoffee, ‘Order,
Legitimacy, and Wealth in Ancient Egypt and
Mesopotamia’, pp. 199-260.
SUGGESTE W.E. Aufrecht, N.A. Mirau, and S.W.Gauley (editors),
D Urbanism in Antiquity: Mesopotamia to Crete,
Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997.
READINGS
FOR THIS C.Aldred, The Egyptians, third revised edition, London:
BLOCK Thames and Hudson, 1998.

Barry J. Kemp, Ancient Egypt, London: Routledge,

1989.
That’s all for now…