Archaeology of the
Shang Dynasty
The Three Dynasties of the
Chinese Empire

Xia c. 2100-1600 BCE

Shang c. 1600-1050 BCE

Zhou c. 1000-256 BCE
History of The Shang Dynasty
The Shang was the second hereditary
dynasty in China.
 It lasted almost six hundred years with
thirty-one kings over seventeen
generations.
 Shang used to be an old tribe who lived in
the lower reach of the Yellow River. It was
a tributary of the Xia Kingdom

Geography & Territory of the
Shang


According to Zhou-era
traditional texts, the city of
Anyang in northern Henan
province was the preeminent
Shang capital, center of a
territory ruled by one dominant
royal house.
The city served as the ritual
capital of the last nine Shang
kings, from Wu Ding (21st
king, c1200-1181 BCE) to Di
Xin (29th king, c. 1085-1045
BCE).
Geography & Territory of the
Shang Cont’d
Fu Hao’s Tomb
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
Anyang is also an
important site because of
the tomb of Fu Hao, royal
consort of Wu Ding.
Fu Hao's is the only
unlooted royal tomb and
the only one conclusively
identified with a person
named in ancient texts.
Findings from Fu Hao’s Tomb



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468 bronze objects including
130 weapons, 23 bells, 27
knives, 4 mirrors, and 4
tigers or tiger heads
755 jade objects
63 stone objects
5 ivory objects
564 bone objects including
nearly 500 bone hairpins and
over 20 bone arrowheads
11 pottery objects
6,900 pieces of cowry shell
Ivory beaker with turquoise
From the tomb of the Shang dynasty queen Fu
Hao, c, 1200 BCE.
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/archae/2fuhmain.htm
Findings from Fu Hao’s Tomb
Cont’d
Bronze Pieces from Fu Hao
Bronze Ding vessel
Height: 80.1cm, Weight: 128kg
Bronze Ax
http://www.marymount.k12.ny.us/marynet/TeacherRe
sources/bronzesproject/html/bklynmuse.htm
Bronze Pieces from Fu Hao
Covered container
Height: 60cm, Length: 88cm,
Drinking vessel
Wine vessel
Height: 46.3cm, Weight: 16kg
Ancient Sichuan - Treasures
From a Lost Civilization

In 1928, discoveries of ancient
bronzes were made at
Anyang. These finds
supported the account of early
Chinese histories as recorded
in early texts. These writings
portrayed the early Chinese
civilization as culturally
homogeneous -- strong and
prosperous and extending its
sphere of influence outward to
encompass an ever-larger
area of 'the world.'
http://www.marymount.k12.ny.us/maryne
t/TeacherResources/bronzesproject/html/
upcoming.htm
Oracle Bones
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

bones used for divination by the
Chinese during the Shang dynasty
(traditionally c.1766 B.C.–c.1122
B.C.)
Along with contemporary
inscriptions on bronze vessels,
these records of divination, which
were incised on the shoulder
blades of animals (mainly oxen)
and on turtle shells, contain the
earliest form of Chinese writing.
In addition to being an important
source for understanding the
development of written Chinese,
they tell a great deal about Shang
society.
http://www.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/uclib/bones/ob01.htm
Neat Sites of Current Research
&Findings
http://www.rom.on.ca/pub/shang/shango.ht
ml
 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/200311/11/content_280475.htm
 http://www.archaeology.org/0005/newsbrie
fs/shang.html

BIBLIOGRAPHY
RESENT DISCOVERIES
http://www.archaeology.org/0005/newsbriefs/shang.html
BEST LINK
http://www.marymount.k12.ny.us/marynet/TeacherResources/bronzesproject/html/hist
ory.htm
GENERAL INFORMATION SITES
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/shang/index.htm
http://www.wisc.edu/arth/ah370/ah370s2.html
http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/Archaeology/96935.htm
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/ancient/bronze/brochure_bronze_age.htm
http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/spring98/history.htm
http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/China/Shang.Chron.html
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0307/feature3/
http://www.tpt.org/china/bronze2.html
http://www.nga.gov/education/chinatp_pt2.shtm
http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/timelines/china/shang.html
ORACLE BONE SITE
http://www.bartleby.com/65/or/oraclebo.html
http://www.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/uclib/bones/bones.htm
http://www.mirabilis.ca/archives/000656.html
BIBLIOGRAPHY CONTINUED
General Image Links
http://www.mythofcreation.co.uk/image_pages/mirror.htm
FU HAO'S TOMB SITE
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/archae/2fuhmain.htm
General Facts
Mirrors appeared in Shang China and in Mycenaean Greece, about the
same time period
MAPS/GEOGRAPHY
http://www.artsmia.org/arts-of-asia/china/maps/shang-map.cfm
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/maps/view/images/chinam.jpg
http://www.library.utoronto.ca/east/students02/hoi_wan_lai/ancientm.gif
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/china1999/compfig/map2.pdf
Erlitou Ruins
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-11/11/content_280475.htm
SICHUAN
http://www.marymount.k12.ny.us/marynet/TeacherResources/bronzesproject/html/upc
oming.htm
http://metmuseum.org/special/Sichuan/treasure_images.htm
Vessel Images
http://www.marymount.k12.ny.us/marynet/TeacherResources/bronzesproject/html/bkl
ynmuse.htm
War Chariot Recreation
http://www.rom.on.ca/pub/shang/shango.html