Shang Dynasty: The Most Advanced Dynasty of Ancient China

 

The earliest ruling dynasty of China to be established in recorded history was the Shang Dynasty, though other dynasties predated it. The Shang heralded the Bronze Age in China as they ruled from 1600 to 1046 B.C. Advances in math, astronomy, artwork and military technology were known during their rule.

Beginning of the Shang Dynasty:

According to legend the Shang Dynasty dates back to be the earliest written records in Chinese history. It began when the Xia Dynasty, which in 1600 B.C. was under the control of a tyrant named Jie got defeated by a tribal chief named Tang.

This battle was known as the Battle of Mingtiao which was fought during a thunderstorm. Jie died later of illness though he survived the battle. Tang is known for beginning social programs to help the kingdom’s poor and establishing a low number of drafted soldiers in the army.

Shang Dynasty Achievements:

Thanks to inscriptions on tortoise shell that have been unearthed by archaeologists we came to know that people of the Shang Dynasty have developed knowledge of astronomy and math and are believed to have used calendars.

The Shang calendar was at first lunar-based, but a man named Wan-Nien developed a solar-based calendar. He even established a 365-day year through his observations and pinpointed the two solstices.

Sophisticated bronze works, ceramics and trinkets made from jade were created by artisans of Shang Dynasty. Artisans during the Shang Dynasty used piece-mold casting as opposed to the lost-wax method unlike their Bronze Age counterparts.

A model of the object they wanted to create before covering it in a clay mold was first made by them. Then the clay mold would be cut into sections, removed, and re-fired to create a new, unified one.

Shang armies were equipped with horse-drawn chariots by 1200 B.C. There is evidence of bronze-tipped spears, halberds (pointed axes) and bows before that.

An early form of modern Chinese was the language of the Shang Dynasty. During the Shang Dynasty inscribed on cattle bone and tortoise shells Chinese characters first appeared. Two numerological systems were there, one based on numbers from one to 10 and the other from one to 12.

Shang Cities:

There were several large settlements during the Shang Dynasty, including Zhengzhou and Anyang, as Mesopotamian settlements happened during the same time so these are not believed to be as densely urban as them.

Under King Pan Geng around 1300 B.C Anyang became the capitol and at the time it was called Yin. Zhengzhou is renowned for its walls, which ran for four miles and were 32 feet high and 65 feet thick.

Shang kings is believed to be ruled the city of Anyang from for more than two centuries, with altars, temples and palaces located at the center. 

Artisans comprising an industrial area of stone carvers, bronze workers, potters and others surrounded the political centres, and then small housing structures and burial sites.

Shang Dynasty Religion:

From the oracle bones which was found in Anyang deciphered most of the history of the Shang Dynasty, with narratives of shifting alliances with other powers it presents a kingdom at war.

War prisoners were used as slaves or sometimes were slaughtered for sacrifice. Sacrifice was practiced within the religion even sometimes in large groups.

The king also functioned as a priest within Shang culture. It was believed that the Shang king led in the worship of Shangdi, considered the supreme ancestor as other ancestors communicated through the god Di. A group of mystics receives the wishes of the ancestors and then it got interpreted by the king.

Shang Graves:

Royal burials included the burial of subordinates in the chambers alongside their ruler in the first half of Shang rule. The number of bodies in each burial had risen by the end of the dynasty. 

Dating to around 1200 B.C. there was one grave in Anyang which housed the unnamed ruler’s cadaver got accompanied by 74 human bodies as well as horses and dogs.

Hunting parties were sent by the Shang rulers to capture members of primitive tribes to the northwest to use as sacrificial bodies in royal burial sites.

Lady Hao grave in Anyang from around 1250 B.C. features not only 16 human sacrifices, including children, but a large number of valuable objects, including stone sculptures, bone hairpins and arrowheads and several ivory carvings as well as ornaments and weapons made from bronze and jade. 

60 bronze wine vessels with images of animals were also there in the grave. King Wu Ding's wife was Lady Hao, who ruled for 59 years. She lead several significant military campaigns in her life as revealed from her bone inscriptions.

Fall of the Shang Dynasty:

Around 1046 B.C. the Shang Dynasty came to an end. King Di Xin was the final King in the Shang lineage; he was considered a cruel leader who enjoyed torturing people, leading to calls for the end of his rule.

The Zhou army marched on the capitol city being lead by King Wu, being entrusted with an outpost to protect the western frontier of the kingdom. Di Xin to supplement the defending army armed nearly 200,000 slaves, but they eventually got defeated to the Zhou forces. 

Many Shang soldiers refused to fight the Zhou, some even joining the other side in what is known as the Battle of Muye.

Di Xin by setting fire to his palace committed suicide. Though the Shang Dynasty had left an indelible mark on the timeline of Chinese history but the incoming Zhou dynasty would rule for 800 years.

Written by: Gourav Chowdhury