Classical China 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 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 8000 BCE Neolithic period ca. 8,000-2000 BCE Xia dynasty ca. 21st-16th c. Pre-Imperial period Shang dynasty (Three Dynasties) ca. 1600-1045 ca. 2,000-221 BCE Zhou dynasty 1045-256 Qin empire Early Imperial period 221-206 221 BC-581 CE Han empire 206 BCE-220 CE 220 CE dynasty patrilineage 8000 BCE Neolithic period ca. 8,000-2000 BCE Xia dynasty ca. 21st-16th c. Pre-Imperial period Shang dynasty (Three Dynasties) ca. 1600-1045 written records ca. 1200 ca. 2,000-221 BCE Zhou dynasty 1045-256 Qin empire Early Imperial period 221-206 221 BC-581 CE Han empire 206 BCE-220 CE 220 CE Yinxu 殷墟 "Ruins of Yin" ca. 1200 BCE Anyang Anyang, Henan 河南安陽 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 Examples of Shang Oracle Bone Inscriptions 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. 涍 Di / Shang Di "Lord" / "Lord Above" 帝 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 Maximal territorial extent of Shang state, ca 1200 BCE Shang Wei River valley 渭河 Zhou 周 Shang 8000 BCE Neolithic period ca. 8,000-2000 Xia dynasty ca. 21st-16th c. Pre-Imperial period Shang dynasty (Three Dynasties) ca. 1600-1045 ca. 2,000-221 Zhou conquest ca. 1045 Zhou dynasty 1045-256 Qin empire Early Imperial period 221-206 221 BC-AD 220 Han empire 206 BC-AD 220 220 CE 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 Luo (Luoyang) Zhou 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 Tian "Lord" "Heaven" 涍 浽 帝 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) Zhou dynasty territorial extent Luo Zhou Zhou dynasty territorial extent Luo Zhou Wei River valley="region within the passes" Luo (aka Luoyang) Major Zhou colonies Yan Jin Qi Lu Wei Luo Zhou Ying Major Zhou colonies Yan Jin Qi Lu Wei Luo Zhou Ying Zhou Colonies ca. 800 BCE .