Difference between revisions of "Shang dynasty"

Revision as of 12:47, May 31, 2014

The Shang dynasty was an era of Chinese history that began in 1600 BC and continued until 1046 BC.^[1] It was preceded by the Xia dynasty and followed by the Zhou dynasty. The Shang was China's Bronze Age. Shang casting technique was the finest in the world, and many highly decorated vessels have survived.^[2] A large foundry has been unearthed at Miaopubei near Anyang.^[2]

Chinese writing first appeared in this period. These were pictographs on bones, shells, and later in bronze. The Shang was the first dynasty to use chariots. Over 500 sites have been classified as culturally Shang, although not necessarily politically. These sites are located, not only in Shang heartland in the central portion of the Yellow River, but all across northern and eastern China.^[2]

Early Shang

The capital was initially located at Bo. Bo is identified with a walled city in Yanshi in northern Henan Province that was unearthed in 1983. Erlitou, the Xia capital, is also in Yanshi, which suggests that there was at one time a relationship between the two states. Bo was radiocarbon dated to 1600 BC. This date is considered to be the founding of the Shang dynasty.^[3] In the Middle Shang, the capital was moved several times. In this period, the king may be viewed as a wandering shaman, moving from one city to another in response to arcane oracles.

Late Shang

After a permanent capital was established at Anyang in 1300 BC, the king began to function more as a ruler and head of an established government. But he continued to tend to divination personally. A proposed divination would be written on a bone. The bones was then heated until stress caused it to crack. The cracks were interpreted by the king as either confirming or denying the divination. Ritual required the king to travel extensively, notably to the four sacred mountains.^[2]

As writing developed around 1200 BC, only the late Shang can be considered fully historical.^[4] Contemporary oracle bone inscriptions establish the sequence of rulers from this point on, so this can be considered the beginning of China's recorded history. The chariot was also introduced at around this time. Like the Xia, the Shang was once thought to be legendary. The excavation of Anyang, begun in 1928, demonstrated that the dynasty is historical. Anyang does not have a wall, which suggests the kings were confident that they could fend off invaders without one.^[2] The royal tombs that have been unearthed suggest that human sacrifice was practiced.^[5]

No Shang literature survives, but about 200,000 oracle bone inscriptions have found. The earliest date from about 1200 BC.^[2]

The Shang calendar had 360 days with twelve months of thirty days each was developed. Intercalary months were added as necessary. The urban population were mainly engaged in metallurgy and other support services for the army and the state. In the countryside, the primary activity was growing millet.^[2]

Dixin, the last Shang ruler, is traditionally described as an immoral tyrant. The Zhou, a people from the northeast, defeated the Shang in the battle of Muye and established a new dynasty in 1046 BC.

Rulers

The following is a list of Late Shang rulers from the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project. The traditional dates of accession are from Liu Xin. There were also nineteen Early Shang rulers, but no widely accepted dates have been calculated for them.

References

1. ↑ These dates are from the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project (2001). Liu Xin gives 1766–1122 BC, the Bamboo Annals gives 1556–1046 BC, and Cambridge History of Ancient China (1999) gives 1570 –1045 BC.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6} McCurley, Dallas L., ”Shang”, "Encyclopedia of Modern Asia" (2002).
3. ↑ If the traditional date of 1766 BC is accepted as the actual year the dynasty was founded, that would imply that the upper layer of Erlitou is a Shang site.
4. ↑ The XSZ Project gives exact years for various events beginning in 1300 BC, with the earlier period described only in general terms. For comparison, note that the standard chronology for Egypt begins with the Third Dynasty in 2750 BC.
5. ↑ "Treasure Tomb of the Warrior Queen", National Geographic, 2010.