The Zhou- Known as the symbolic rulers of China from 1250 – 750 BCE. There was a lot of respect for The Zhou in which helped settle disputes between the states. They were an agricultural based society and were the longest lasting Chinese dynasty. They introduced the use of iron to China. The Zhou divided their country into different states.
The Shang Dynasty was one of the oldest tribes of ancient China. The dynasty reign was from 16th century BC - 11th century BC. China's isolation and its sense of superiority shaped not only chinese attitudes towards people, but also their conception of them selves. The key characteristics of the Chinese view of the world were a belief that the Chinese stood at the center of the universe, that theirs was the 'Middle Kingdom', surrounded in all four directions. The belief in a powerful protective, Shang Di, the original ancestor of the ruling house, encouraged a sense of community.
The Xia dynasty yielded to the Shang way that started in the south and east of where the Xia dynasty was. The Shang Dynasty was around 1766-1122 B.C.E. Due to the written records and other materials left behind its safe to assume that basic features of early Chinese society became clear during the Shang dynasty. The Shang dynasty monopolized the production of bronze in the Yellow River Valley by taking control of copper and tin ores. Also brought from southwest Asia were horse-drawn chariots, carts, wagons and other wheeled vehicles between 1500 and 1200 B.C.E.
Comparative Essay The two countries of China and Egypt are both two of the oldest and most diverse countries that could be compared in present day. Their economies vary in how the social lives they live as well as the cultural aspects of each persons life. Each region will show roles and powers, as well as the gender divisions in the economy. The roles of the religious figures also will be compared and contrasted, in both countries and who is looked up upon. China and Egypt have many similarities as well as differences when discussing the two civilizations social way of life; both developments had slaves.
The Vaisya were the farmers and merchants. The Sudra were the laborers of the caste system and the untouchables were made to do the labor that dealt with death and that was unclean. The Chinese social class system included the different classes of the landlord class, peasant class and the merchant class. The people who made up the landlord class had large amounts of land. The people of the peasant class made up most of China and these peasants had a
Three factors lead to slavery; debt, crime and war. (Henslin, 2010) Creditors would enslave those who were in debt forcing them to work for what they owed. A murderer or thief was forced to work for the victim’s family in order to compensate them for the loss. (Henslin, 2010) When a group defeated an opponent at war, they would enslave the conquered, killing off the men and taking the women into bondage. Women were and still are seen as valuable possessions, traded for sexual purposes, reproduction and labor.
Centralized government, trade controlled by gates to the city. For the Shang dynasty the king and his nobles where on top of the social ladder then warriors second then the peasants and surfs last. The king had supreme power over everything; he was a religious and political leader. The king aristocrats, and bureaucrats directed the life of the peasants and surfs. Most peasants had very little and barely made it through the taxes the king reinforced.
Hand- out 1 Chapter 4- Lesson 1 Golden Age of China Vocabulary: Silk Road: A chain of trade routes stretching from China to the Mediterranean sea. Dynasty: A series of rulers from the same family. Tang: A dynasty that ruled China for almost 300 years. Song: A dynasty that ruled China after the Tang. Merit system: A system of hiring people based on their abilities.
During the period of 100 BCE-500CE, the Silk Roads went from prosperous and bustling to slightly decrepit and relativly unused, mostly because of the collapse of a number of empires which fueled its trade. Despite this, however, the Silk Roads continued to provide transportation of agricultural products,
In AD 43 they came and invaded Britain. They came looking for land, slave and mostly iron, copper, zinc, lead, silver and gold. They took over most of the Celts land and built their own towns, villages and homes. They built strong forts liked to good road systems. Places like ports and harbours were very important, so that the Romans could bring in food, drink (wine and alcohol) and oils from abroad.