Section 8 – Shang Technology Working with bronze was an important technology for the Shang. Artisans used bronze to make many tools of war. These included arrowheads, spearheads, ax heads, and helmets. The bronze making skill of the Shang is one of the reasons they were able to remain in power for more than five hundred years. Interactive Notebook Complete the spoke diagram by naming the types of bronze weapons made by Shang artisans. Why were bronze-making skills important to the Shang dynasty? Name the weapon you think most helped strengthen the Shang army, and explain why you chose this weapon. Section 9 – End of the Shang Dynasty The Shang excelled in war, enabling the ruling classes to build up great wealth. But, in time, these very strengths helped to bring about the end of the dynasty. Constant warfare eventually weakened the military power of the Shang.
The Shang had a system of money, using valuable cowrie shells that they received as part of their extensive trade with neighbors. The Shang king and his nobles spent extravagant amounts of money on their palaces, furnishings, clothing, and even their tombs. Over time, this lavish spending may have weakened the economy. A later king would say that the final blow was the corruption of the last Shang king. Rather than look after his people, he spent all his time on recreational activities like hunting. But no one knows whether this report was true. Around 1045 B.C.E., a frontier state called Zhou (joh) rose up against the dynasty. Zhou armies under King Wu caught the Shang unaware, defeating and overthrowing them. One story says that, as Zhou rebels stormed his capital city, the last Shang king ran from the battlefield, put on all his jewelry, and threw himself into the flames of a fire. Interactive Notebook Describe three causes of the fall of the Shang dynasty. Wrap It Up In this chapter, you learned about one of China’s earliest dynasties, the Shang dynasty, by examining artifacts from that time. A Shang Capital City - The ruins and artifacts found at Anyang show that the Shang believed in an afterlife. Kings were buried with goods, people, and animals that would be useful to them in their life after death. Shang Government - Shang kings were powerful rulers who inherited their power and kept it through family ties and military might. Shang Social Classes - Shang society can be divided into six social classes: the king’s clan, nobles, artisans, traders, farmers, and slaves. Shang Religion, Writing, Arts, and Technology - The Shang practiced ancestor worship and, sometimes, human sacrifice. Their writing used logographs as well as pictographs. Shang artisans excelled in working with bronze and jade. The bronze weapons they created enabled the Shang to stay in power. The End of the Shang Dynasty - The Shang ruled in the valley of the Huang He for some five hundred years. They traded widely and grew wealthy. But constant warfare, lavish
A. the depth of an earthquake B. the direction of an earthquake C. the damage caused by an earthquake Section 2 – Warfare The Han excelled in warfare. Their military methods and new weapons helped them expand their dynasty. At its height, the Han dynasty reached west into Central Asia, east to present-day Korea, and south to present-day Vietnam. The Han dynasty had a large and well-organized army. All men from about the ages of twenty-five to sixty had to serve two years in the army. Historians estimate that Han armies had 130,000 to 300,000 men. The army was helped by new technologies. Advances in iron making improved the strength and quality of armor. Han ironworkers produced a kind of fish-scale armor that flexed and moved with the body. The Han were among the first people to make iron swords. The strength of iron allowed skilled workers to fashion longer swords. With a long sword, a soldier could swing at an enemy from a safer distance. Another favorite weapon of the Han was the crossbow. A crossbow is made of two pieces of wood in the shape of a cross. A string is attached to each end of the horizontal piece of wood. When that string is pulled back and released, an arrow is shot from the crossbow. The Han invented the kite and used it in clever ways for military purposes. According to one legend, a Han general once used a kite to measure the width of a heavily guarded wall. Kites were used to send messages from one part of an army to another. They were also used to frighten the enemy. Kites with bamboo pipes were flown over enemy camps at night. Enemy soldiers would hear a ghostly noise coming from the darkness above them. It sounded like “ fu, fu” (“beware, beware”). The alarmed soldiers often ran away. Interactive Notebook How were the Han able to expand their empire? How far did it extend? Describe three new military weapons used by the Han army.