The Shang Dynasty: The First Dynasty of Historical Records
The Shang dynasty of China is the first dynasty for which there are any historical records. Some date it from 766 B.C. to c.1122 B.C, while others place it at from c.1523 B.C. to c.1027 B.C. (Shang, 2005). Another source gives the dates as from 1600 BC to 1046 BC (Wikipedia, 2006). The Shang dynasty came after the Xia dynasty, about which little is known, and before the Zhou dynasty (Wikipedia, 2006). Even with some historical records, other information is based on legends. According to these legends, its founder was T'ang, who supposedly defeated the Hsia Ruler Chieh (Shang, 2005). T'ang and those who followed him governed the first real city-state in what is now Henan province, and may have ruled other, smaller areas as well (Shang, 2005). The Shang frequently fought against the Huns and the Chou, who eventually defeated the last Shang ruler (Shang, 2005). The Shang dynasty was at first believed to be a myth because no real evidence of their existence could be found. That changed when a farmer found ritual bones used by the Shang and began marketing them as dragon bones with medicinal powers. The bones had early writing on them and had been burned, and were cracked (MSU, 2003). Eventually, archaeologists found 11 royal tombs
In all there were 30 Shang dynasty kings who lived in seven different capitals. It is not clear why they would leave one capital and build a new one, but only one capital was lived in at a time (MSU, 2003). Each capital was identical to the one that had been used before it (Sharpe, 1996). They developed an organized bureaucracy (Shang, 2005). However, political control outside the capital was limited (Deng, 1999, p. 19). The lords were expected to be loyal to the Shang ruler. However, during warfare, power struggles often emerged within the army (Deng, 1999, p. 20). The period of time covered by the Shang dynasty is an important period of China's history. During this time the people moved from a hunting-gathering way of life to an agriculture-based society. They developed towns and cities, organized their religious beliefs, developed their skill in working with metals, and developed an agriculture-based economy. In addition, writing developed during this time. The Shang dynasty is particularly important in Chinese history because of all these achievements. Ancestors were extremely important to the Shang, and families were tracked through the father (Shang, 2005). The Shang especially revered their royal ancestors. In the royal tombs, archaeologists found objects for use in the next life as well as the skeletons of about 300 people believed to be servants, who were there to accompany the king in after death (Sharpe, 1996). The people believed that their ancestors' spirits were all around them. Because of this and because of the special importance of royal ancestors, every important royal event was announced in the temples to make sure the ancestor spirits were informed (Sharpe, 1996). The Royal Court developed religious rituals both to appease the gods and to honor their ancestors (Wikipedia, 2006). While the Shang practices ancestor worship, they also believed there were gods in nature, and often offered sacrifices
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Approximate Word count = 1305
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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