CH Module 2:2 Flashcards
shang, zhou dynasties and warring states period
Traits of Bronze Age Civilization in North China
writing
metalworking
domestication of the horse
class stratification
cult centers
Shang dynasty
not as urban as Mesopotamia
kings ruled from large settlements like Anyang (200+ yrs)
Anyang
was ruled from for more than 2 centuries
Center had large palaces, temples, and altars built on rammed-earth foundations
Industrial areas: bronzeworkers, potters, stone carvers, etc
Homes built partly below ground level to conserve heat
Deer, bears, tigers, wild boars, elephants, and rhinoceros
Shang kings
They were military chieftains who regularly sent men out on campaigns or went hunting for months
War booty was a sizable stream of revenue, war captives were made into slaves or sacrificial victims (which could have been a motive for going into war)
Shang Weapons
Bronze-tipped spears and battle axes
Chariots (bronze fittings) (increased view and mobility)
High priests (kings)
Best qualified to offer sacrifices to the royal ancestors and high god Di
Divined the ancestor’s wishes by interpreting the cracks made in heated cattle bones/tortoise shells prepared by professional diviners
Shang monuments
Shang palaces were constructed of perishable material, giving China none of the ancient stone buildings and monuments characteristic of the West
Shang Royal tombs
Lavish underground tombs
Lady Hao’s tomb: filled with 500 bronze vessels and weapons, 700 jade and ivory ornaments, 16 attendants
Shang Society
The king and other noble families had patrilineal family and clan names. Kingship too.
Shang Farmers
Obligated to their lords, they worked fields with stone tools and lived in compact villages surrounded by fields.
Wheat (from western Asia) and silkworms
Shang Bronze metalworking
The development/complexity of society coincided with its mastery (needed coordination of a large labor force and skilled artisans)
Mostly for rituals such as sacrificial ceremonies (goblets, steamers. cauldrons)
Bronze decoration
Shang bronzes were decorated with wild animals, contrasting that of ancient Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia with their representations of agriculture and hierarchies
Cicadas
Jades found in dead people’s mouths, images on bronzes
Rebirth
Birds
Messengers to other realms *sky
Taotie
Stylized animal face
monster? protective? ritual mask? animal sacrifices?
Sichuan 1986
Pits with statues, bronze heads
elephant tusks, gold, jade, stone….
Shang Writing development
A major element by 1200 BCE
Logographic: each word had a symbol, sometimes symbols combined for words and pronunciation
*complexity of language added to the prestige of education
Logographs pros+cons
- Allowed them to read old texts without translation and texts from different regions
- Played a large role in holding China together and providing connections with the past
- Also allowed communication between people whose languages were related as neighboring countries adopted the script.
Zhou dynasty
Recognized Shang to be occupying the center of the known world + saw history as a major way to legitimate power.
Book of Documents
Describes the Zhou conquest as the victory of just and noble warriors
Assumes a close relationship between heaven and king (son of heaven)
The mandate was taken away from the Shang king
Mandate of Heaven
Heaven gives the king a mandate as long as he rules with the interests of the people.
Seems to have been propaganda, but became a central feature of Chinese political ideology.
Ruling
Set up a decentralized feudal system where people were sent with troops to establish walled garrisons in conquered territories.
These positions were passed down, creating domains.
Decentralized rule
Allowed regional lords to get too powerful
In 771 BCE the Zhou king was killed by an alliance of non-Chinese tribesmen and vassals
China soon entered a period of nearly constant conflict
Zhou Social classes
King -> rulers of state -> great officials of the states -> shi (men who could serve militarily or civilly) -> normal people (farmers, craftsmen, traders)
Book of Songs
Hymns used in court ceremonies
Folk songs (set the pace for rural life, depicted farmers)
Love songs
Complaints to ancestors
Court odes (attitudes of aristocrats)
Farming
Millet, hemp (cloth), beans, vegetables
Hunting, gathering grasses
Women
Zhou distrusted women in politics due to concubinage, which led to much scheming for favor and the perception that women were incapable of taking a disinterested view of the larger good.
Social and Economic change after 500 BCE
Cities, with thick earthen walls, began appearing
Iron technology
Allowed some to become very rich.
Widely used for both farm tools and weapons.
Made wealth a basis of social inequality instead of inherited status and political favor.
Social mobility
Rulers often sent their officials instead of delegating authority to hereditary lesser lords, leading towards centralized bureaucratic control.
Bureaucracy
Created opportunities for social advancement for the shi.
Competition between them guaranteed a supply of subordinates and meant ambitious men could be selective.
Southern state of Chu
Incorporated fifty or more smaller barbaric states, extended its reach to Zhou, and took in the old states of Wu and Yue.
Songs of Chu
The greatest literary masterpieces of the era
Full of fantastical poems about deities and shamans
Warring States Period
Large, well-drilled infantry armies became prominent and were able to defeat chariot-led forces.
Fueled by the development of new weaponry and war tactics, Chinese states destroyed each other until only Qin was left.
Crossbow
The intricate bronze trigger allowed a foot soldier to shoot farther than a horseman carrying a light bow.
One text said that a skilled soldier with a crossbow and a sword could match a hundred ordinary men.
Cavalry
Further reduced the need for a chariot-riding aristocracy
Was first perfected by people north of China proper. The state of Jin made a cavalry to defend against attacks from these horsemen.
Acquiring and pasturing horses became a key part of military preparedness.
War technology developments
Due to the developments, rulers wanted to increase populations to get more foot soldiers and weapons
Agriculture with war tech dev
Began surveying and taxing farmers to undermine the power of lords over their subjects to get direct access to the peasants’ labor power.
Registering populations
This led to the extension of family names to commoners at an earlier date than anywhere else in the world.
The Art of War
- The ideal general is a master of maneuver, illusion, and deception
- Heroism is a useless virtue
- The army has been trained to follow orders without questioning them.
- War is the way of deceit.
The Victorious States
States in the periphery of the Zhou realm were able to expand and had access to more resources.
By 3rd century BCE
Only seven important states were remaining and were much more centralized than their predecessors.
Before the end of the 3rd century, the state of Qin conquered them all.
