Writing
Where have inscriptions of Chinese writing been found?
Oracle Bones
What was one skill Shang artists turned out to be great with?
Working with bronze
What was the most important piece of technology to the Shang Dynasty period?
Working with Bronze
What were the Shang great at but ultimately led to their downfall?
They excelled in war, but overtime and the constant warfare weakened the military power of the Shang.
Shang writing is similar to modern Chinese writing. How is that?
Characters stand for words rather than sounds.
What is a taotie?
A common picture that was an animal mask. It could have horns of an ox, the ears of an elephant, the talons of a bird, the eye of a man, or the crest of a dragon.
What did early Chinese writing contain?
Pictographs (images that represent objects)
Bronze was not the only great skill Shang artisans had. What was the other one?
Working with jade and producing remarkable jade pieces
What tools were made from this tech?
Bronze was used to make tools of war:
-arrowheads
-spearheads
-ax heads
-helmets
Despite having a vague currency system, what was another reason for the downfall of the Shang Dynasty?
Despite extensive trade, Shang kings and nobles spent extravagant amounts of money on palaces, furnishings, clothing, and tombs. The excessive spending weakened the economy.
What is a logograph?
EX: the Chinese character for "good" is a combination of the characters for "woman" and "child".
How did the artisans of the Shang Dynasty work with jade?
They made jade objects by sawing, filing, and sanding the stone.
What criticism does a later king from a different clan/dynasty say was another reason for the downfall of the Shang Empire?
Corruption of the last Shang king. Rather than looking after his people he spent all his time on recreational activities.
How did written language help unify the Chinese peoples?
Spoken language varied from place to place, but people of upper classes used the same written language.
What qualities were believed to be attached to jade?
Qualities of jade represented the qualities of a superior person.
Hardness of jade stood for wisdom
Jade is smooth and shiny and stood for kindness
What was one of the reasons the Shang were able to remain in power for more than 500 years?
Bronze making skills
Which emperor and army finally ended the Shang Dynasty?
The Zhou Dynasty under King Wu