Period+6+Shang+Dynasty

=The Shang Dynasty=

Matt Nierman- Blue Sam Grady- Purple Kendra Bolt- Pink Ben Stoller- Green

= ﻿Map Of Shang Dynasty =

DATES (Not according to map): Started- 1766 B.C. Ended- 1045 B.C.

Achievements: The Shang Dynasty had many achievements during their time. For example, because of their high delicacy in bronze-working, the Shang were able to make intricate instruments such as the copper cymbals, the Xun, a clay Ocarina, and drums. Also, in the science region, the oracle contains records of solar and lunar eclipses, stars, and other things out in space. They kept record of everything in a calendar. Also, they had the earliest signs of glazed pottery, and had an advanced steppe-like war chariot. The Shang also had the first appearance of the Chinese script, and rammed earth fortifications

G overnment
 * Ruled by a dynasty - a successive line of kings from the same family
 * Absolute monarch called a king, the first being the Tang of Shang and the last being Shang Zhou
 * There was no separation of church and state; the king as also the head shaman
 * Kings used divine powers to rule
 * The Kings often traveled to the four cardinal corners of the kingdom to perform rituals
 * The capital city changed dependent on the king's location
 * The aristocrats also ruled over the peasants

R eligion
 * People worshipped the Shangian ancestors, who were regarded as divine
 * Animal and human sacrifice was common in rituals
 * Kings main job was to read the "oracle bones," ceremonial objects from the shells of turtles or the scapulas of oxen that were heated until cracks form
 * Kings used the cracks in the oracle bones to predict future events, read people's fortunes, and comprehend the word of the ancestors
 * Shang Ti was the head god of all gods

E conomy
 * The Shang Dynasty's economy was based around agriculture
 * Another economic group was the artisans who made all things from guns to jewelry
 * Peasants and slaves did all the economic work
 * Later, the farmers became skilled at raising silkworms and spinning silk
 * Silk became the main export of China

A rts and Architecture
 * Unknown when metallurgy was started, but Shang dynasty was discovered with bronze working
 * Taotie- frontal, animal-like mask with large holes for eyes. Between the eyes is a nose, with nostrils at the bottom. Taotie can also include jaws, fangs, horns, ears, and eyebrows. Sometimes a mask may have a split animal-like body with legs and tail on either side of the mask
 * Could control use over jade

T echnology
 * The Shang discovered that the solar year is 365 1/4 days long, and they organized a calendar
 * They were the first civilization to industrialize bronze
 * They created new methods for making pottery
 * The war chariot was first used by the Shang

[[image:http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR9G5A-N8EPu3yilfkWdk5FL6eD__rCptn1rV4vGAVwB7nVAWLQdq0rtotgAw width="143" height="124"]]
S ocial Structure:
 * The King and his nobles were at the top of the social ladder
 * Warriors also had power
 * Most peasants were very poor and could barely pay the taxes that the king established
 * The Shang Dynasty was basically split into two social classes: the nobility and the commoners

SLOGAN:
"Come see the Shang and meet the whole gang!"

Department of Asian Art. "Shang and Zhou Dynasties: The Bronze Age of China". In//Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History//. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shzh/hd_shzh.htm (October 2004)
 * WORKS CITED**

Gill, N.S. __Shang Dynasty__. About.com. 9/20/11 .

Haywood, John. __The Ancient World__. 21 Bloomsbury Square, London: Quercus Publishing Plc, 2010.

Hermansen, Joel. "Shang Dynasty." //Appleton Area Public Schools//. Appleton Area School District. Web. .

"Map of Shang Dynasty." Map. //Shang Dynasty//. First Last. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Web. 19 Sep 2011. .

McCurley, Dallas L. "Shang Dynasty." // Encyclopedia of Modern Asia //. Ed. Karen Christensen and David Levinson. Vol. 5. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. 166-168. // Gale World History In Context //. Web. 19 Sep. 2011.

"Taotie Image." Online Image. __Mysteries of the ancient high cultures: The Olmecs and The Shang__. No publishing date. 9/19/11 .