Shang Dynasty Research Paper

The Shang Dynasty was a civilization ruling over what is now Northern China ranging from 17th- 11th century BCE. (1) There were many states within China at the time but the Shang where believed to be the most powerful following the Xia Dynasty until the Zhou, from western China, conquered the Shang in the 11th century. (1)

One of the most important parts of the Shang Dynasty was the use of bronze. During the late 1920s, thousands of artifacts where recovered from the ruins of Yin, which was the last capital of the Shang. (2) Some artifacts that where recovered included bronze vessels, chariots, axes and hairpins. Bronze was also associated with royalty which is why many artifacts where found buried with royals. Other artifacts
that were found include oracle bones with early Chinese writing on them. Architecture was also a huge part of the Shang Dynasty. The houses were rectangular and laid out in rows, they were also built of wood and rammed earth. (3) The center of these cities held a big building but it is unknown whether it was a palace or temple.

The Shang where skilled in many areas including work in bone, ceramics, jade, bronze and wood. (2) They where people who were farmers and had a social hierarchy with kings. The downfall of the Shang Dynasty is partially due to the fact that they were severely weakened by multiple battles with nomads. The last king, King Chou, was known for his methods of torture, which may have caused the people to rebel against him. (2)

The Shang Dynasty had a huge impact within china. They had a state- level complexity that included Kings and soldiers. They also had a complex written system that was mainly used by priest to try and predict the future.