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Ancient China

Ancient China. INDUS RIVER VALLEY. CHINA. MESOPOTAMIA. NUBIA. EGYPT. The First Civilizations in the World. Geography. Located along the Huang He (Yellow) River

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Ancient China

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  1. Ancient China

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

  3. 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.

  4. Huang He River

  5. 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

  6. 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 and slaves.

  7. 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 ancestor’s advice. • 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.

  8. 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.

  9. Belief in the afterlife • Shang kings were buried with weapons, ornaments, pottery, sculptures, chariots, and servants. • http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/videos/shang-dynasty-human-sacrifice/

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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

  13. 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.

  14. 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.

  15. 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. • What early civilization does Ancient China seem to have the most in common socially? Explain. .

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