1. Religion
1.1. Sumerians
1.1.1. These societies believed that the Gods controlled all natural forces such as water, wind, fire, etc.
1.1.2. Sumerians worshiped Polytheism which is the worship of many Gods.
1.1.3. They believed that all Gods protected over each city-state of their society.
1.1.4. Sumerians believed that the Gods were like humans in most ways.
1.1.5. Sumerian religious artifact
1.2. Shang/ Zhou
1.2.1. The Zhou believed they should treat one another humanely
1.2.2. Daoism said that you should retreat to the laws of nature.
1.2.3. The Shang believed in a afterlife
1.2.4. Shang centered on ancestor worship.
1.2.5. Shang/Zhou Religious Artifact
2. Geography & Agriculture
2.1. Sumerians
2.1.1. Structures in the Sumer cities were built out of mud bricks because other materials were scarce.
2.1.2. Massive walls surround each city with fields also surrounding them.
2.1.3. In every city center there were ziggarauts which were pyramids that rose to the sky.
2.1.4. Overtime, each city and the land it controlled formed a city-state, a political unit with its own government.
2.1.5. Sumerian River Civilization
2.2. Shang/ Zhou
2.2.1. The Shang river civilization map
2.2.2. Annual floods along the Chang Jiang and Huang He deposited the rich soil along the banks.
2.2.3. Southern China was excellent for growing rice while further north was more suitable for grains and wheat.
2.2.4. China was aided greatly by long rivers, fertile soils, temperate climates which contributed to the growth of China.
2.2.5. Some regions were better of for farming different crops than others.
3. Government & Leaders
3.1. Sumerians
3.1.1. In Sumerian societies priests were held at a high status and governed most of the city-states.
3.1.2. In Sumerian societies War Chiefs began to rule as Kings.
3.1.3. In time Sumerian city-states began to form into a dynasty.
3.1.4. Most rulers of these societies began to perform ceremonies for Gods that they worshiped.
3.2. Shang/ Zhou
3.2.1. During the Shang period china was ruled by a strong monarchy.
3.2.2. The Zhou had a ruler that the gods would accept and not one that was corrupt.
3.2.3. The Shang had a King that was surrounded by a court.
3.2.4. The Zhou had a King that was ruled accepted by the gods.
4. Economy and Trade
4.1. Shang/ Zhou
4.1.1. Iron became the backbone of the economy of the Zhou.
4.1.2. The Shang Created one of the worlds first money systems.
4.1.3. The Zhou introduced the coin to china.
4.1.4. The Shang society was based of agriculture.
4.2. Sumerians
4.2.1. Obtained many of their items by trade which helped the make lots of their inventions.
4.2.2. As trade enriched a ranking in the Sumerian society developed.
4.2.3. At the top of the chain it went Kings, Priests, Principal agents, Large landowners, and wealthy merchants.
4.2.4. The rest of the Sumerians took up the end of the chain such as Pedestrians who worked for little pay and were very poor.
5. Science & Technology
5.1. Sumerians
5.1.1. By trading with other civilizations the Sumerians were able to invent the wheel, the wheel made everything easier.
5.1.2. Sumerians also invented the plow which helped make farming easier.
5.1.3. Learned to use bronze to make better tools and weapons which helped them with defense of their society.
5.1.4. The Sumerians were very advanced in a very non advanced society, in their society they could even perform basic surgery.
5.1.5. Sumerians invented the fist wheel.
5.2. Shang/ Zhou
5.2.1. Metal work was done extensively in Bronze.
5.2.2. Bronze tools and weapons.
5.2.3. The Zhou Learned how to work with Iron.
5.2.4. The growth under the Zhou led to the making of roads and canals.
5.2.5. Shang had great advances working with bronze.
6. Arts & Education
6.1. Sumerians
6.1.1. Sumerians developed the first writing system and used it to educate Sumerians.
6.1.2. Sumerian writing is called cuneiform, they mostly wrote on clay tablets with sharp stones to write
6.1.3. Sumerians also created a math system based on the number 60 including 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour.
6.1.4. One of the greatest inventions was a cylinder seal which was engraved in great detail and rubbed with wet clay and rolled on paper to make a seal or signature.
6.1.5. Sumerian writing
6.2. Shang/ Zhou
6.2.1. The Zhou introduced the coin to China.
6.2.2. Confucius wrote a book on how to improve society.
6.2.3. The Shang wrote on Oracle bones.
6.2.3.1. Oracle Bones
6.2.4. The early texts were written in pictures.
7. Social Structure & Family
7.1. Shang/ Zhou
7.1.1. The Zhou had a king with a court.
7.1.2. The Zhou had Worshiped their deceased ancestors.
7.1.3. The Shang had a king who was feared by the people.
7.1.4. Believed that the leaders had to be fair unto the people.
7.2. Sumerians
7.2.1. Priests began to rule in many of the city-states of Sumer.
7.2.2. The ranking was Kings, Priests, Principal agents, large landowners, and wealthy merchants.
7.2.3. In a Sumerian family the husband was in charge. He had the right to divorce, he even had the right to sell his wife and children into slavery.
7.2.4. A women in the upper class Sumerian societies had a lot more rights. They were allowed to have an income separate from their husbands and is also allowed to offer evidence in a law courtcase.