ANCIENT CHINA INDUS RIVER VALLEY CHINA MESOPOTAMIA EGYPT

ANCIENT CHINA

INDUS RIVER VALLEY CHINA MESOPOTAMIA EGYPT NUBIA The First Civilizations in the World

GEOGRAPHY • Located along the Huang He (Yellow) River • Huang carries loess = fine yellow soil When loess settles, water level rises. Dikes had to be built to keep river from overflowing.

HUANG HE RIVER

SHANG CHINA • Earliest organized Chinese civilization— existed around the same time as Hammurabi in Mesopotamia , Middle/New Kingdoms in Egypt, and end of Indus Valley Civilization. Archeologists discover Anyang, the capital of Shang China, in 1928

GOVERNMENT/POLITICS • Usually led by a powerful king, although women could lead. • Power passed to brothers or sons of the king when he died (dynasty) • Kings ruled a small area. Loyal clans held the rest. • Kings used their armies to keep them in power • Constantly at war with neighboring clans • Used war was a way to gain land slaves.

RELIGION: WHAT DID THE KING DO? • Shang kings were closely involved with the religion. • Shang people believed that the king had power to rule because he had powerful ancestors. • King used oracle bones to ask Questions were written on tortoise or other animal bones and pierced with a hot needle so they cracked. The pattern of the cracks revealed the answer.

RELIGION • Polytheistic (belief in more than 1 god) • Shang Di: leader of the gods • Practiced “ancestor worship”. Believed gods wouldn’t respond to mere mortals. Believed ancestor spirits could influence gods, help or harm the living. • Gave offerings of wine and food, and sometimes human sacrifice.

BELIEF IN THE AFTERLIFE Shang kings were buried with weapons, ornaments, pottery, sculptures, chariots, and servants. • http: //channel. nationalgeographic. com/videos/shang-dynasty-human-

ECONOMY • Used cowries shells for money. • Main income came from farming or the harvest of crops • Many farmers also knew how to cultivate the silkworm and weave its tread into beautiful cloth which would be used for clothing • Silk later became China’s main export • Many artisans manufactured weapons, ritual vessels, jewelry, and other items of interest.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE • Nobles were the second most important people after the Royal Family. • They served in the army and as “warlords” they helped to govern the kingdom’s territories. • Craftspeople: bronze and jade workers, potters, and stonemasons & traders. • Farmers: largest social class. • Did not own their land, it belonged to the king and they gave all their extra crops to the king and nobles. • Slaves: usually people captured in wars, they build tombs and palaces • When their masters died, slaves were sometimes killed so that they could serve their master in the afterlife.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: WRITING • oldest examples found on oracle bones • combination of pictographs (images that stand for objects) & ideographs (symbols that stand for words or ideas) • over 10, 000 characters • developed calligraphy • the same writing system united China where people spoke different language

ACCOMPLISHMENTS : BRONZE WEAPONS • One of the earliest peoples to figure out how to make bronze from copper and tin. Accomplishments: Army Large army made up of foot soldiers, archers, cavalry (soldiers on horseback), elephants, and chariots.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: CALENDAR • The king issued pronouncements as to when to plant crops based on the Shang calendar. • 360 -day year of 12 months of 30 days each based on lunar cycle. • Chinese characters for “moon” was—as it remains—that also for “month. ” • Based on solar year as well, the calendar added in extra short months to account for the extra 5 days in a solar year.

What is unique about Ancient China (the Shang)? Choose from Mesopotamia (Sumeria), Egypt, Nubia, or the Indus River Valley. for the following questions: • What early civilization does Ancient China seem to have the most in common politically? Explain. • What early civilization does Ancient China seem to have the most in common socially? Explain. .