Shang Picture Collage

This is an image of the Shang Dynasty god, Shang Di. The Shang people had one main god and then looked at their ancestors as god like figures that were prayed to. 
http://twsanborn.wikispaces.com/Ancient+China+(Shang+Dynasty)Religion

This picture is of a chariot driver and his horses in in tomb of a Chang Dynasty king. These animals and person were with the king to accompany him to the afterlife.

http://counterlightsrantsandblather1.blogspot.com/2009/03/working-stiff-in-art-china.html














This picture shows bronze spear heads used by Shang Dynasty warriors. Foot soldiers would use these spear heads for projection in a battle.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bronze_spearheads,_Shang_Dynasty.JPG
























This is a mask made during the Shang Dynasty. The mask is made out of bronze. The Shang Dynasty was during the Bronze Age. Therefore many things were made of bronze. This mask was auctioned off.

http://anonymousworks.blogspot.com/2010/06/shang-dynasty-bronze-mask.













This is pot was created by someone in the Shang Dynasty. The Shang people are known for their bronze, but the rich can only afford it. Therefore the poor use clay to make things like this bowl.

 http://www.chinapotteryonline.com/tag/china-white-pottery

Work Cited

Work Cited

<http://anonymousworks.blogspot.com/2010/06/shang-dynasty-bronze-mask.>

<http://www.chinapotteryonline.com/tag/china-white-pottery>

<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bronzespearheads,ShangDyna sty.JPG>

<http://counterlightsrantsandblather1.blogspot.com/2009/03/working-stiff-in-art-china.html>

Department of Asian Art. "Shang and Zhou Dynasties: The Bronze Age of    China". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 24 April 2013.        <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shzh/hd_shzh.htm>

Donn. “Shang Dynasty About 1700 BCE to 1100 BCE”. Mr. Donn’s Social Study Site. 22 April 2013. <http://china.mrdonn.org/shang&chou.html>

<http://eunahris.blogspot.com/2007/12/china-sars.htm> 

<http://www.google.com/imgreshl=en&biw=1400&bih=956&tbm=isch&tbnid=FKIas-tj2i4- XM:&imgrefurl=http://lmsblogs.org/blog/2011/02/25/649/&docid=>

Lai Selena: Brown Takahashi Waka. “The Shang Dynasty, 1600 to 1050 BCE”. Stanford Spice.  November 2006. 23 April 2013.                                     <http://iis-db.stanford.edu/docs/117/ShangDynasty.pdf>

Spiritual Wine Vessel. n.d. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Shang dynasty, early Anyang period (ca. 1300–1050 B.C.), 13th century B.C. 

<http://twsanborn.wikispaces.com/Ancient+China+(Shang+Dynasty)Religion>

Ushistory.org. “Shang Dynasty- China’s First Recorded History”. US History.         24 April 2013. <http://ushistory.org/civ/9b.asp>

Chinese Writing from the Shang

The Shang Dynasty is known for some very important inventions today. One of their most famous inventions includes their system of writing. The characters created by the Shang are very similar to today's Chinese characters. The people wrote on oracle bones. Oracle bones were commonly tortoise shells or other bones. Oracle bones are the first known writings surfaces by the Shang people. Writing was also on silk and bamboo strips. The inscriptures written by the Shang people were short and not very specific.



http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1400&bih=956&tbm=isch&tbnid=FKIas-tj2i4-XM:&imgrefurl=http://lmsblogs.org/blog/2011/02/25/649/&docid=

The inscriptures were invented about 3,5000 years ago by the Shang Dynasty. Surprisingly, the writing system has not changed much from the way the Shang people wrote, to how Chinese people write today. This form of writing was not used in other parts of the world and where the writing was used a long time ago, China is still the location it is used today. 

The Shang Dynasty's writing system made life easier for the Shang people. People could keep track of important information. Before the writing system was invented, information could not be saved for when it was needed at a later date. But with a way to write information down, the Shang Dynasty could improve and move forward. Their lives would become easier. This system of writing is still used today and helps people in the same way. Information can be kept and used at another time. Writing can keep track of important information that can help people latter.     

<http://iis-db.stanford.edu/docs/117/ShangDynasty.pdf>

Day in the Life of A Shang Dynasty Person

January, 1605 BCE

The Shang Dynasty has just started about five years ago. I am an eight year old girl. I live in a family of eight people. I have a mother, a father, three sisters, and two brothers. We are farmers, just like most people in the Shang Dynasty. Family is very important to us Shang people. As a child, I must obey my parents. I cannot complain, whine, or do anything I am not suppose to. My father is the leader of this family. When he does something wrong, the whole family has done something wrong.

March, 1605 BCE

Sorry Dairy that I have not written to you in such a  long time. Everyone is very busy with the farm and my oldest brother has gotten sick. There is more work for all of us now. We are in the process of moving back to our summer home. We have a winter home and a summer home for farming. Our houses are simple. There are dirt floors, tile roofs (we are lucky to have gotten rid of our thatched roof), and no furniture. The walls of our houses are made of mud. Life is not easy for my family, but we get by. We all have to work our hardest, especially right now because of my brother.

April, 1605 BCE

Hello again. I thought I should tell you, my Dairy, about "our" farm. We do not own the land. Our noble does. We have simple tools that we use on '"our" farm made of stone and wood. The work is hard. We are not given any of the food we grow, sadly. Because we do not own our farm land, we have to do something for our noble. We give him gifts like wine and silk. We also have to do work on his house for no pay. We sometimes have to build roads or bridges for our noble. It is hard work that never stops. Never!

January, 1611 BCE

Well, hello there Diary. My father and mother have both died. I was packing up my stuff to move and found you again. I have not spoke with you for six years. Wow! I am fourteen years old now. I am sad there my mother and father have died, but their are more important things in life to do than mope around. I have something important to tell you. One of my brothers has become a foot soldier. That is scary news for me to hear, especially because of my parents' recent deaths. He will be the one to run behind the chariots in the field. Foot soldiers wear nothing but a tunic and trousers! Well the boy has to do what the boy has to do.                 

<http://china.mrdonn.org/shang&chou.html>

Shang Dynasty Map

http://eunahris.blogspot.com/2007/12/china-sars.htm


The land of the Shang Dynasty had many geographic features. The features had impacts on the dynasty. The Shang Dynasty was located on the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. The ocean gave a supply of fish, and other forms of food, along with transportation. The water gave an abundance of fish and other animals, along with ocean plants for eating. This supported the population, allowing the dynasty to grow and prosper. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers followed through the Shang Dynasty. The rivers often flooded. Because of the flooding, systems of irrigation and flood control were created. With a controlled amount of water coming to the farmer's land, it was less likely to loose crops. Therefore, there was always food. The river also gave farmers water for their crops, which helped support the food supply needed. To the north of the Shang Dynasty was the Gobi dessert. This desert protected the dynasty from intruder from the north. This natural barrier allowed the people of the Shang Dynasty to not spend their time on worrying about intruders in the north. Instead the people could improve what they had and invent new things.

<http://ushistory.org/civ/9b.asp>

Shang Dynasty Used Bronze

By:Lindsay Roland

The Chang Dynasty was around during the Bronze Age. The people learned to use bronze in different ways to improve their lives. The Shang people used molds to create item out of bronze. The technique was called piece-mold casting. First, a design was carved into clay. Next, they poured molten bronze into the mold. After the bronze had cooled and hardened, the clay was chipped away, leaving only the piece. Lastly, handles would be added. The Shang Dynasty produced weapons, such as axes, bronze chariots, drinking vessels,  and small accessories including hairpins. The Shang dynasty used bronze in these ways all through their existence, from 1600 BC to 1050 BC. The items  improved battle. With new weapons, their army improved. Samantha Wang, Shang citizen said, "We Shang people now have an advantage over our emimies and bronze completely changed the way we fight".  People could also have tools that lasted longer with bronze, improving their work. Bronze was not for most, though. Bronze was a sign of money or royalty. In kings tombs there was thousands of bronze items inside. Common items found included bronze tablets, with symbols on them.   

Spiritual Wine Vessel. n.d. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Shang dynasty, early Anyang period (ca. 1300–1050 B.C.), 13th centuryB.C.  
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shzh/hd_shzh.htm

The picture above shows a spiritual wine vessel, or a guang. This was used in ceremonies along with most of the pieces that the people of the Shang Dynasty made. A container like this was made by casting several different pieces. This specific guang, was most likely cast in the latter years of the dynasty.

<http://iis-db.stanford.edu/docs/117/ShangDynasty.pdf>

<http://ushistory.org/civ/9b.asp>

Being a Farmer in the Shang Dynasty was Difficult

Being a farmer during the Shang Dynasty was difficult. Farmers had to live in poor conditions and came up with ways to improve their farm. The homes that farmers lived in when they were farming were small. The homes were often made of bamboo branches and mud walls. The room normally didn't have furniture and were drafty.Life was hard for a farmer when they had to work very hard all day and go "home" and then  sleep in an unpleasant place.  

Farmers also had to come up with ideas that would improve their farms. They had a lot of hard to do. The improvements the Chang farmers created helped a farmers farm. But were a lot of work to use or make the improvement. The Chang people  domesticated animals to improve farm work. Animals made the farmers life easier because the animals could do work that the farmers had to do before the Shang people domesticated animals. Domesticated animals also improved a farmer's food produced, but were a lot of work for a farmer to raise.  All the animals domesticated; pigs, dogs, sheep, and oxen  either provided food or work for a farm. This helped farmers produce more food and have easier work. Farmers during the Chang dynasty's time also created a complex system of irrigation and flood control. The Shang Dynasty was located near the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Floods were common and farmer needed a way to protect their crops. The came up with a way to do this, but the instillation and up keep for their flood control and irrigation systems was a lot of work. This was another difficult thing farmers during the Shang Dynasty had to deal with.

Being a farmer during the Shang Dynasty's time was difficult. There was always work to be done. Farmers had to live in bad conditions and come up with ideas to improve their farms. Everything the farmer did was difficult.  

<http://china.mrdonn.org/shang&chou.html>

<http://china.mrdonn.org/shang&chou.html>