Do Now
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Transcript of Do Now
Do Now
•Please answer the following HW question for your do now.
•How are gender segregation and zhenjie related? Explain in your own words.
•HW: Study for your quiz
Ancient China:
The Shang Dynasty, ANOTHER River Valley
Civilization!
• 1. Origins of Chinese civilization
• 2. Features of the Shang civilization
• 3. Creation of the Mandate of Heaven
• 4. End of the Shang dynasty
Overview
China & the Yellow River
Why is the river yellow?
Answer: Loess
• Loess is yellow, wind-blown dust from the desert that ended up in the river and colored its waters.
OriginsThe Yangshao and Longshan village societies
Yangshao (3000 BCE)
People: -hunted,
-reared animals-farmed
(irrigation)-painted pottery
Longshan (2200 BCE)
People: -reared animals,-farmed
(irrigation)-Made pottery
from wheels
Yangshao Society Longshan Society
NOTE: THEY BOTH CLING TO THE YELLOW RIVER.
Flooding & Farming were key!
Yangshao 5,000-3,000 BCE•Central Yellow River
•Cultivated mainly millet,rice, turnips, yams, cabbage, other vegetables
•Domesticated pigs, chickens, sheep, goats, cattle, dogs
DecorativePottery
Longshan 3,000-2,000 BCE•Central/Lower Yellow River
•More advanced than the Yangshao people:–Pottery–Musical instruments–Murals–Copper bells
•Farming & Animal Husbandry
Shang Civilization, 1528-1028 BCE
• 1st Chinese civilization
• Natural Barriers=Isolation– Pacific Ocean to East– Taklimakan Desert to West– Gobi Desert to North– Himalayan Mts. to South
• Focused on Yellow River:– Floods resulted in fertile soil
for farmers– BUT floods routinely wiped
out entire villages– Called “THE GREAT
SORROW”
Consider:Ancient
China’s relationship with the Yellow River.
*Was Ancient China more like Ancient Egypt or Ancient
Mesopotamia?
(see above)
Shang Cities
Capitol City of Ao:(artist’s reconstruction)
The First Shang Government
•T'ang, overthrew the decadent emperor Jie, the last of the (maybe mythical) Xia dynasty.
•He claimed Jie’s lack of virtue meant that he lost the ability to govern his people.
Emperor T’ang
New dynasty gains power and claims to have the Mandate of
Heaven.
The new dynasty establishes peace and is considered to have
the mandate of Heaven.
Gradually, the dynasty declines and power grows
weak.
Disasters occur and the dynasty grows weaker.
Old dynasty is seen as having
lost the Mandate of Heaven and
rebellions break out.
New dynasty emerges as old
dynasty is overthrown .
Dynastic Cycle
Mandate of Heaven - the divine approval
thought to be the basis of royal
authority
Dynastic Cycle - the historical pattern of
the rise, decline, and replacement of
dynasties
GOVERNING IDEAL: The Mandate of Heaven
The Emperor: Gov’t & Religion• Emperors were seen as
intermediaries between Di, dead ancestors, and Humankind.
• He made government decisions AND led religious rituals:
– Supervised dances designed to end droughts.
– Had dancers burned to please the gods.Di, the Sky
God
Emperors and Nobles•Nobles governed Peasants/ artisans as
Vassals: •Vassals are subordinate leaders who
carried out a superior’s (the Emperor’s) orders.
•In return for local power, Nobles •collected tribute (usually in the form of
agricultural produce) that supported the emperor and his government.
•raised armies and waged war for the empire.
Shang Elite Culture [FOCUS ON THE SPIRIT WORLD]
Nobility valued the predictions of Shamans/ Priests and Oracles.
--Oracles were humans who channeled the will of the gods.
Shang artists produced ritual objects used by oracles, warriors, families negotiating marriage alliances.
Lesser Occupations❖Scholars
❖Merchants
❖Craftsmen
❖Farmers
❖Slaves
What about women?
Signs of Civilization: Writing
❖Pictograms found on oracle bones
❖Oracle bones were designed to predict the future and help rulers govern.
❖Basis of modern Chinese script
*Each character stands for an idea not a sound.
•A person needed to know over a 1,000 characters in order to be barely literate.
•A scholar needed to know around 10,000 characters.
•The Shang Dynasty is known as the Bronze Age of China.•Bronze was the source of Shang art, weapons, and tools.
Bronze Metallurgy
East Asian Bronze Age Timeline
Shang Bronze Ritual Objects
End of the Shang DynastyLast Shang king, Zhou, was killed in 1100 BCE.
The Shang lost the Mandate of Heaven in the eyes of the people.
A new dynasty took over the direction of China.
The Zhou Dynasty
2 Epochs:
Western Zhou (1027 – 771 BCE)
Eastern Zhou (771-256 BCE)
The Shang and Zhou Dynasties helped China become a powerful and
prosperous civilization.
Summary Question
Why was the Shang Dynasty considered the
first Chinese “civilization”?