Shang Dynasty Civilization

Shang dynasty is considered one of the earliest ruling dynasties of China. Both documentary and archaeological evidence are available of this dynasty. This Chinese Dynasty created a social pyramid in a similar way to other ancient civilizations which consists of the king at the top who was followed by the military nobility, merchants, farmers and priests. The Shang Dynasty ruled from 1600 B.C. to 1046 B.C. (There are disputes about the ruling period of the Shang Dynasty)  and marked the Bronze Age in China.

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In the following Shang Dynasty article, we will learn about other aspects of the civilization of the Shang Dynasty such as culture, religion and writing etc.

Power and Social Hierarchy

The Chieftains were leading the border territories of the Shang dynasty. They gained their right to governance from their connections with royalty. Shang relied mostly on neighbouring fiefs ( lands given to social elites to govern) for raw materials, much of which was devoted to the performance of the ceremony. The ruler was getting political and military support from the holder of a fief. Fiefs were also responsible for economic management as they used to organize flood control and irrigation systems oftenly to supervise their construction

A feudal system was enacted during the Shang period in which duties were tied to land ownership. There were sharp class divisions on the basis of the birthright of the clan. The aristocracy was centralized around Anyang. Territories of the region which was farther from the capital were also controlled by wealthy people. The Shang military was next in social status after the kings and the aristocrats and was respected and honoured for their skill. The infantry or foot soldiers and the chariot warriors were the two sub-categories of the military soldiers and the latter were known for their great skill in warfare and hunting.

At the bottom of the social hierarchy were the peasants and the poorest citizens of China. They comprised the majority of the population and were involved in agriculture and buying-selling crops for profit in a constraining feudal system. Pieces of evidence of the archaeological surveys have indicated that masses of peasants were buried with aristocrats hence some scholars believe that they were the equivalent of slaves. Local aristocrats were directly controlling the Peasants.

Shang Dynasty Religion

Much of the known information about the Shang dynasty is gathered from the oracle bones which were found in Anyang as it was the central city at war with narratives of shifting alliances with other powers. People used to worship different gods. Sacrifice was practised within the religion during this period and sometimes sacrifice was performed in large groups. Prisoners who were captured during any war were treated as slaves and sometimes they were slaughtered for sacrifice. Sometimes the king used to work as a priest within the culture of the Shang.  According to the belief of Shang people that ancestors communicated through the God Di, and the Shang Ruler led in the worship of Shangdi (the supreme ancestor) as well as communicating with the other ancestors. The will of ancestors were received by mystics and interpreted by the king.

Writing

There are a lot of inscriptions and evidence of writing found related to the Shang dynasty. The earliest Chinese writing which fortunately survived is found as inscriptions of divination records on the shells, bones of animals which are called oracle bones. The written evidence on these oracle bones is quite complex which is hard to understand and shows that this language had existed for a long time. According to modern scholars, they are able to read and understand the language because it is very similar to the modern Chinese writing system.

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The Shang Cities

There were several large settlements during the Shang Dynasty such as Zhengzhou and Anyang. Though these are not estimated to be as densely urban as Mesopotamian settlements during the same time. Under the ruling of King Pan Geng, Anyang became the capital around 1300 B.C. and at the time was called Yin. Zhengzhou (a metropolis on the Yellow River) is popular for its walls, which ran for 4 miles and were 65 feet thick and 32 feet high. Anyang was the city of the Shang Dynasty where Shang kings ruled for more than two centuries. There were temples, altars and palaces located at the centre. Surrounding the political centre were artisans comprising an industrial area of stone carvers, potters, bronze workers along with small housing structures and burial sites.

Shang Dynasty Achievements

Many innovative inventions and practices were performed during the timeline of the Shang dynasty. It is believed that people have used calendars and developed knowledge of astronomy and math. This information has been depicted from the inscriptions on tortoiseshell that have been unearthed by archaeologists. Artisans created ceramics, bronze works and trinkets made from jade and used piece-mould casting as opposed to the lost-wax method which shows that firstly they made a model of the object they wished to create before covering it in a clay mould.

Armies of the Shang were equipped with chariots that were drawn through horses by 1200 B.C.  There is evidence of the use of bronze-tipped spears, halberds and bows.

Do you know?

• The ancient king wanted to predict their future with oracle bones by inscribing their name and the date on the bone along with a question. After writing on the bones they used to provide heat to it until it cracked and then interpret the shape of the crack in order to get their answers.

• The calendar of the Shang, at first was based on the lunar calendar but a solar-based calendar was later developed by a man named Wan-Nien. He established a 365-day year with his observations and pinpointed the two solstices.

Conclusion

The Shang dynasty article gave a lot of information about the civilization of the Shang dynasty such as Shang dynasty religion, achievement, writing and social hierarchy etc. The timeline of the Shang Dynasty ended by leaving an indelible mark on Chinese history.