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Classical China

1. The Chinese Bronze Age2. Shang divination and ancestor worship3. Zhou conquest and Mandate of Heaven4. Zhou system of aristocratic lineages

Neolithic period (ca. 8,000 BC-2000 BCE)

Bronze age (ca. 2000-600 BCE)

Bronze ritual vessels Shang Dynasty ca. 12th-11th c. BCE

Mask décor (taotie) on bronze ritual vessel Late Shang dynasty, ca. 12th-11th c. BCE

Inscribed bronze ritual vessel Late Zhou dynasty, ca. 6th c. BCE

Inscribed bronze ritual vessel Late Zhou dynasty, ca. 6th c. BCE

1. The Chinese Bronze Age 2. Shang divination and ancestor worship 3. Zhou conquest and Mandate of Heaven 4. Zhou system of aristocratic lineages

Neolithic period ca. 8,000-2000 BCE

Shang dynasty ca. 1600-1045

Zhou dynasty 1045-256

Qin empire 221-206

Han empire 206 BCE-220 CE

8000 BCE

220 CE

Pre-Imperial period (Three Dynasties) ca. 2,000-221 BCE

Early Imperial period 221 BC-581 CE

Xia dynasty ca. 21st-16th c.

dynasty

patrilineage

Neolithic period ca. 8,000-2000 BCE

Shang dynasty ca. 1600-1045

Zhou dynasty 1045-256

Qin empire 221-206

Han empire 206 BCE-220 CE

8000 BCE

220 CE

Pre-Imperial period (Three Dynasties) ca. 2,000-221 BCE

Early Imperial period 221 BC-581 CE

Xia dynasty ca. 21st-16th c.

written records ca. 1200

Yinxu 殷墟 "Ruins of Yin" ca. 1200 BCE

Anyang, Henan 河南安陽

Anyang

Royal tomb of Shang Dynasty Anyang, Henan, ca. 12th c. BCE

Replica of Tomb of Shang royal consort Fu Hao Yinxu (Anyang, Henan), ca. 1200 BCE

Human sacrificial remains Anyang, Henan, ca. 12th c. BCE

Oracle bones jiaguwen 甲骨文 late Shang Dynasty (ca. 1200-1045 BCE) pyromancy/pyromantic divination

1. Crack-making on day 21, Que divined: "Consort Hao's childbearing will be good." The king read the cracks and said: "If it be on a ding-day that she give birth, there will be prolonged luck."

2. Crack-making on day 43 divined: "It is the Mountain Power that is harming the rain."

3. Divined: "The enemy are harming and attacking us; it is Di (Lord on High) who orders them to make disaster for us."

4. Divined: "There is a sick tooth; is it not Ancestor Yi who is causing harm?"

5. Divined: "Ancestor Cheng (the first king) will be hosted by Di."

6. Crack-making on day 31, Que divined: "On the next day, day 32, we should make offering to Ancestor Yi.

Examples of Shang Oracle Bone Inscriptions

Di / Shang Di "Lord" / "Lord Above" 帝

涍

The Book of Poetry aka The Book of Songs Shi 詩 ca. 11th-6th c. BCE #209 "Thick Star-Thistle"

Genealogy of Shang kings

Chinese luni-solar calendar

•60-day cycle

•10-day week

•1st month of year keyed to winter solstice

•occasional extra (intercalary) month

1. The Chinese Bronze Age 2. Shang divination and ancestor worship 3. Zhou conquest and Mandate of Heaven 4. Zhou system of aristocratic lineages

Shang

Maximal territorial extent of Shang state, ca 1200 BCE

Shang

Wei River valley 渭河 Zhou 周

Neolithic period ca. 8,000-2000

Shang dynasty ca. 1600-1045

Zhou dynasty 1045-256

Qin empire 221-206

Han empire 206 BC-AD 220

8000 BCE

220 CE

Pre-Imperial period (Three Dynasties) ca. 2,000-221

Early Imperial period 221 BC-AD 220

Xia dynasty ca. 21st-16th c.

Zhou conquest ca. 1045

Early Western Zhou rulers

King Wen 文王 (r. 1099-1050)

King Wu 武王 (r. 1049-1043)

Duke of Zhou 周公 (regent 1042-1036)

Shang

Zhou (Xi'an) Luo (Luoyang) Zhou

Luo

The Book of Documents Shang shu 尚書 "The Many Officers," ca. 11th-10th c. BCE Mandate of Heaven

The king says to this effect, "You many remaining officers of Shang! It is a misfortune; autumnal Heaven has greatly sent down destruction on Shang. We, the Zhou, assisted in the mandate; led by Heaven's brilliant authority we brought about the king's punishment, setting the mandate of Shang aright and thereby fulfilling the will of Di. Thus, you many officers, it was not that our small nation dared to take aim at the mandate of Shang; it was that Heaven, not cooperating with those who are deceitful, prevaricatory, ignorant and disorderly, supported us. Would we dare seek this status ourselves? It was that Di would not cooperate with you. What our lowly people uphold and act upon is the brilliant dreadfulness of Heaven.

Di "Lord"

帝 涍

Tian "Heaven"

浽 天

The Xia had no use for Di; they were greatly licentious and dissolute, for which behavior they invented pretexts. Thereupon Heaven no longer cared for them or heard them, but discontinued their primal mandate, sending down punishments. So your former ancestor Tang the Successful was commanded to overturn Xia; with your capable people he governed the four quarters. From Tang the Successful down to Emperor Yi, none of your rulers failed to make his virtue brilliant and attend to the sacrifices.

…

But more recently, their descendant and successor has been vastly unenlightened with respect to Heaven. How could it be said of him that he would comply with and care about the diligent heritage of the former kings? He was vastly licentious and dissolute; he did not look upon Heaven's manifest presence or the misery of the people. At this time, Di Above did not protect him, and sent down such great destruction as this. Heaven does not cooperate with those who do not make their virtue brilliant.

Qiu basin 倾盤 bronze Western Zhou Dynasty (ca. 1045-771 BCE) ca. late 9th-early 8th c. BCE

Qiu said: "My greatly illustrious high ancestor Shan Gong was valiantly able to make clear and wise his virtue and to support and assist King Wen and King Wu, who beating the Shang, received Heaven's fine mandate, extended [it] to encompass the four quarters, and completely settled the territory that they had toiled for, thereby becoming a mate for the Lord on High.

Son of Heaven

Tianzi

1. The Chinese Bronze Age 2. Shang divination and ancestor worship 3. Zhou conquest and Mandate of Heaven 4. Zhou system of aristocratic lineages

Western Zhou aristocratic lineage system patrilineage dynasty Son of Heaven (tianzi)

Luo Zhou

Zhou dynasty territorial extent

Luo Zhou

Zhou dynasty territorial extent

Wei River valley="region within the passes" Luo (aka Luoyang)

Zhou

Qi Lu

Yan

Jin

Wei

Ying

Major Zhou colonies

Luo

Zhou

Qi Lu

Yan

Jin

Wei

Ying

Major Zhou colonies

Luo

Zhou Colonies ca. 800 BCE