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Shang dynasty powerpoint

The Shang Dynasty ruled from 2000-1650 BCE and was the first dynasty to leave written records. They practiced divination by heating bones and turtle shells, reading the cracks to answer questions. Over 150,000 oracle bones have been found with pictographs recording divinations. The bones provide valuable insight into Shang religion, social hierarchy, culture, and fall from power to the Zhou Dynasty.

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Shang Dynasty and Oracle Bones By: Rachel Fisher Oracle Bones excavated near Anyang city, late Shang Period
Shang Dynasty 2000 - 1650 BCE Began with the overthrow of the Xia emperor by the first Shang ruler, Tang Middle of China’s Bronze age Located along the Yellow River Valley Agricultural and hunting society First dynasty to leave behind written records and solid archaeological evidence
Pyro-Scapulimancy Diviner reads the stress cracks caused by heating should blades or bones Possibly first practiced by Neolithic inhabitants of north china Animals used include sheep, pig, cattle, boar, dog, lynx, beaver, deer, seal, & caribou Wide spread Southern Arabian peninsula, central Asia, Mongolia, Siberia, China, & Japan.
Shang Oracle Bones Before the discovery of Shang oracle bones scholars had no firm proof that the Shang Dynasty existed. Shang dynasty used reptilian parts like turtles, not just mammals They carved a record of the divination on the scapulas and plastrons, establishing themselves as the first fully literate civilization east of the Indus 150,000 inscribed oracle bones are in collections around the world
Shang Divination Materials Helps explain what resources were available to the Shang Used scapula of bovine and buffalo, similar to Neolithic diviners Other bones and animals were used for inscribing records Used turtle and tortoise shells No relationship between bone type or size and the important of the divination
Use of Turtle Shells First use of turtle shells for oracles is unknown Carving was done on the plastron May have only used female turtles Turtles were likely farmed to maintain demands and provide food The Shang imported turtles from different regions
Use of pictographs, and ideographs
Bone Script Use of pictographs and ideographs Rectlininear, simple shapes Little variation in line width Thousands of characters found from all the bone fragments Many characters remain undeciphered
Anyang: stela reproductions of oracle bones
Initial Preparations Scapula Cartilage sawed away Leveled and smoothed surface Polished surface Turtle Shells Cleaned of meat and cartilage Separated the plastron Smoothed and trimmed Polished surface
Hollows Added carved hollows on back of shell where heat would be applied. Helped control the direction of cracking Made it easier to crack and control the location of the cracks. Helps to differentiate Shang oracle bones from Neolithic ones. 5 categories of hollows
Final Shang Capital and Yin Ruins Museum
Heating Two Heating Methods: Heat is applied to hollows on the back Bones are placed in a heated pit Heat source unknown but was very round and very hot Some historians believe it was a heated metal brand Organization to heating the hollows Most common was inside to outside and top to bottom.
Interpretations Diviner cracked bone, interpreted it, and engraver cut a record of the interpretation into the scapula or plastron. Inscriptions included: Cyclical day of divination Name of diviner Sometimes the location Charge (the topic in question) The diviners interpretation Divination took place on every day of the ten-day Shang week.
Verification Sometimes a sentence would be carved into the oracle bone to say what really happened Almost always confirmed the divination Often used the Chinese word meaning “really truly” Sometimes carvings verified that a divination happened even if it was after the time predicted
Placement of Inscription Inscriptions were carved around cracks and often followed the angles of cracks It can be difficult to tell which crack the inscription is referring to In early periods the cracks were carved deeper to help legibility Some pigment has been found in cracks
Oracle Questions Sacrifices Military campaigns Hunting expeditions Outcome of the next day/night Weather Agriculture Sickness Childbirth Dreams Divine assistance or approval “Will the king have a son?” “Will it rain tomorrow?” “If we send 3,000 men into battle, will we succeed?” “Is the long drought caused by ancestor X?”
Shang Social Hierarchy Monarchy where king was head of politics and religion Very rigid social classes Writing increased the hierarchy in government and social statuses by allowing large scale organization and regulations. Shang kings were constantly at war with outsiders During later period of dynasty, kings were only diviners
Shang Culture The Shang worshipped “Shang Ti,” a supreme god that ruled over the lesser gods of the sun, the moon, the wind, and other forces of nature. They believed in the after life and gave sacrifices to important ancestors Shang documents were recorded on strips of bamboo and silk may have decomposed, leaving mainly oracle bones and bronze inscriptions Bone Script created a basis for modern chinese calligraphy
Fall of Shang Dynasty Shang Dynasty ended when the Duke of Zhou invaded and conquered the capital Legend claims that they overthrow the Shang Dynasty because the king was evil and heaven no longer wanted him to rule. Mandate of Heaven Followed by the Zhou Dynasty
Sources Department of Asian Art. “Shang and Zhou Dynasties: The Bronze Age of China”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shzh/hd_shzh.htm (October 2004) “From Oracle Bone Inscriptions to Modern Language.” History - China Culture. 2007. Web. 7 Oct. 2011. <http://history.cultural-china.com/en/181History5896.html>. Keightley, David N., and Noel Barnard. The Origins of Chinese Civilization. Berkeley: University of California, 1983. Kneightley, David N. “Sources of Shang History: The Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Bronze Age China.” The Origins of Writing. Berkeley: University of California, 1978. “The Shang Dynasty, 1600 to 1050 BCE.” Stanford. Spice Digest, Fall 2007. Web. 7 Oct. 2011. <http://iis-db.stanford.edu/docs/117/ShangDynasty.pdf> “Shang Dynasty.” China Culture. Ministry of Chinese Culture, 2003. Web. 9 Oct. 2011. <http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_22689.htm>. Additional Image Source http://picasaweb.google.com/116512474184071531500/AnyangFinalShangCapitalYinRuinsMuseum?gses sionid=9suX3m75NHY4s9Ocxk5k4A#