LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Shang Dynasty: Zhou China
built 644 days ago
At the end of the Shang gallery a turn to the left leads into the Zhou and Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.) gallery. Although the spiral patterns, the taotie masks, and dragon designs resemble Shang bronzes, later Zhou bronzes display patterns that are more open and flowing, the animals are less abstract, and the vessels are made in new shapes. Look at the rhinoceros poster, the postcards of the Zhou wine vessel, the Han incense burner, the bull and tiger ritual object. The Han lamp in the form of a servant girl holding a candle stand is one of the first clearly represented human figures in Chinese art. A close inspection of the 5th century B.C. bronze wine vessel nearby (#91 in the exhibition) reveals lively inlaid figures dancing, playing musical instruments and battling on land and water. They are among the earliest known attempts by the Chinese to show pictures of people.
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The Shang dynasty was the second great dynasty in China. It started in 1766 B.C. The Shang dynasty made many achievements in construction and medal working. Most people of the Shang dynasty lived in small farming villages, others lived in great walled cities. The walls of these cites were made up of dried earth that was 30 feet high, 65 feet thick and was about 4 and a half miles long. Archaeologists think that with such simple tools it would have taken 10,000 workers and it would have taken 18 years to build such a big wall. Inside these walls were home to priests, warriors and rulers. Out side the walls skilled crafts men that worked together in the same guild lived in nearby villages.
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Somewhere near the early to middle part of the second millennium before Christ the Shang Dynasty emerged from the mists of historical uncertainty. Situated in the North China Plain, the Shang offers historians the first dynasty with a complete writing system. Dominated by an elite class who worshipped their royal ancestors (intermediaries between the earthly realm and the high god Shang-Di), this rather small kingdom held wide sway.
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The Shang dynasty ruled parts of northern and central China. Its capital city was located at Anyang near the border of Henan from about 1384 BCE. This dynasty was based on agriculture; millet, wheat, and barley were the primary crops grown. In addition to the crops, silkworms, pigs, dogs, sheep, and oxen were raised. Aside from their agricultural prowess, the Shang dynasty was ... advanced in metallurgy. Bronze ships, weapons, and tools were found from that era.
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King Tang of Shang of China, in chinese:"湯", born Zi Lu, in Chinese:"子履" (1617 BC - 1588 BC) was the first king of the Shang dynasty in Chinese history. He beat Jie, the last king of the Xia dynasty.
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Until written evidence is found to document the historical existence of a Xia dynasty (see Study Sheet #1), the Shang is the earliest dynasty mentioned in ancient texts that has been confirmed by archaeological excavations. The Shang had a highly stratified society, built walled cities, used bronze, practiced divination, and conducted elaborate sacrifices to royal ancestors. Many Shang artifacts without specific provenance, particularly bronze vessels, survive in collections outside China, but many can now be identified more confidently through comparisons with scientifically excavated objects.
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