The serfs and slaves preformed all economic functions of society
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
The artisans formed another group of the economic structure
Many artisans manufactured weapons, ritual vessels, jewelry, and other items of interest
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Political Structure
The King, or wang, had supreme power over everything else
He was both the political leader as well as the religious leader
The King along with the aristocrats and bureaucrats directed the life and work of the peasants and serfs
Social Scale
The King and his nobles sat at the top of the social ladder
Warriors were also very powerful
Most of peasants had very little and barely made it through the taxes that the king enforced
Religious Beliefs
Shang Ti – head god, rules over all other gods
The worship of ancestors was very important
Sacrifices to the gods and ancestors
Cultural Achievements
· The Shang developed a very sophisticated form of writing
· Excellent bronze workers
· Very primitive agriculture
· A written language, the art of bronze-work, two-horsed chariots, the understanding of silk
· Used a calendar
· Created the first decimal system
Geographical Boundaries
· Yellow River
Philosophical Basis
· “In the works”
Outstanding Features
· The Yellow River Valley
Success/Failure
· Failure – King killed by Zhou rebels, the civilization coundn’t stand up to the Zhou rebels
Basis For Civilization
· The Yellow River Valley
· Agriculture
· Knowledge of silk
