Social Structure
This group enjoyed a life of luxury. They lived in great palaces and spent time hunting. They are the highest-ranking social class after the ruling family.
What are the nobles?
Used to make many tools of war including arrowheads, spearheads, ax heads and helmets
What is bronze?
The "magic 8-ball" of the Shang Dynasty
What are oracle bones?
The name of the river valley where the Shang settled?
What is the Huang He or Yellow River Valley?
The Shang government was led by a powerful _____ who controlled the land.
What is a king?
captured in war
What are slaves?
this amazing creation used horses to pull it and gave the Shang armies an edge over it's enemies in war
What is a chariot?
Honoring ancestors through rituals, such as offering food and wine to the dead
What is ancestor worship?
A large group of friends and family. Ancient China was made up of mostly these.
What is a clan?
The name of the two metals that make up bronze
What is tin and copper?
the largest soial class in Shang society
What are farmers?
The Shang created a calendar of 12 months and ________ days
What is "30"?
a religious ritual sometimes included with the burial of a king
What is human sacrafice?
a very hard, precious green stone used for jewelry and sacred sculptures
What is jade?
Was made up of the royal palace at the center. Included a temple, houses, workshops and lower classes in earthan houses on the outskirts
What was a Shang Capital City?
This group ranked below nobles but above farmers. They used cowrie shells as money with neighboring regions.
What are traders?
a written character that represents a word in Shang writing
What is a logograph?
Kings asked priests to read what to determine the holy message of an oracle bone
What is a "crack" or patterns of a crack?
a system of managing the wealth of a country or region
What is economy?
Ancient Chinese believed that the qualities of this stone represented the qualities of a superior person
What is jade?
This class included bronze and jade workers, potters and stonemasons.
What is craftspeople?
Which of these is NOT needed to make bronze? tin, copper, fire, iron
What is iron?
The king often gave nobles symbols of power that might show a "lucky" creature such as a dragon or tiger
What is a jade disc?
An animal mask which may have had the horns of an ox, the ears of an elephant, the talons of a bird, etc.
What is a taotie?
Craftspeople were skilled workers in The Shang Dynasty. Because they made the weapons used by Shang warriors, this group was especially valued.
What are bronze workers?