1. Arts and Education
1.1. Sumerian
1.1.1. Sumerian ruins and artifacts show us how creative and artistic they were
1.1.2. Sumerian architecture used arches, ramps, and columns on such buildings as ziggurats
1.1.3. Sumerians also made sculptures but perhaps their most famous works of art were their cylinder seals which were used to sign documents or show ownership
1.1.4. Sumerians developed a math system based on the number 60 and they also learned to use geometry
1.2. Shang/Zhou
1.2.1. Shang had great advances in art and work with bronze in their time.
1.2.2. Part of what they used bronze for were making vessels and objects for religious purposes
1.2.3. In the time of the Zhou, they advanced their talents in working with iron and as their cities got bigger, they began to build roads and canals
1.2.4. The Shang also used a slight form of writing in their religious use of oracle bones
2. Government and Leaders
2.1. Sumerian
2.1.1. Priests held a high status in a Sumerian society as religion was highly valued, they originally led city-states
2.1.2. Dominance in the small city-states was always a competition and because of this, war-chiefs would rule as kings
2.1.3. These kings served as the gods' chief representative and perfermed many ceremonies to please the gods
2.1.4. Eventually, the kings of many of the city-states formed dynasties which are a series of rulers from one family
2.2. Shang/Zhou
2.2.1. During the Shang period, China was ruled by a strong monarchy (by kings)
2.2.2. Shang kings had a "court" which was wealthy nobles and they had a strong army to protect the area.
2.2.3. Kings would also appoint governors to rule distant parts of the kingdom
2.2.4. Zhou ruled by Mandate of Heaven, which said the Gods would only allow and support a just ruler. This is what they used to explain why the Shang empire fell.
3. Geography and Agriculture
3.1. Sumerian
3.1.1. Sumerians lived in the area known as the fertile crescent in Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euprates rivers
3.1.2. This land had very good soil and farmers grew grains like wheat and barley
3.1.3. The region was great for agriculture however, it received little rain which made farming hard
3.1.4. Over time the people made ways to control water like digging basins to store water, or canals to carry water to fields
3.2. Shang/Zhou
3.2.1. Early development of China began with them living near long rivers, fertile soils, temperate climates, and isolated valleys
3.2.2. The Yangzi and the Yellow River supported the first major cities being developed by the Shang
3.2.3. The fine soil helped both the Shang and Zhou to grow grains like rice and millet.
3.2.4. The Zhou had farmers that learned new techniques of farming which lead to a large surplus of food throughout their time!
4. Social Structure and Family
4.1. Sumerian
4.1.1. Sumerians had a well set up social hierarchy in their society
4.1.2. At the top were kings, priests, and their principal agents. Next were large landowners and wealthy merchants. Then came the majority of the people, artisans, farmers, and laborers. At the bottom of the social pyramid were slaves and prisoners of war.
4.1.3. The men in women in Sumerian society developed separate roles where men held political power while women took care of the home and children. A few upper-class women managed to get educations and served as priestesses
4.1.4. Children often stayed home and helped the family when they could and adolescent boys became warriorsChildren often stayed home and helped the family when they could and adolescent boys became warriors
4.2. Shang/Zhou
4.2.1. Shang had emperors, kings, governors, nobles, army, farmers, citizens, and then slaves
4.2.2. Shang didn't hold values for people very high as conquering and remaining in power was more important
4.2.3. Zhou's confucianism said rulers should treat their subjects fairly and lead right
4.2.4. Confucianism also said that people should respect their family and kids needed to respect their parents and elders.
5. Shang/Zhou
5.1. Shang buried their dead in tombs with jewels and other valuables. POW"s would also be buried with their ruler
5.2. The Shang believed in an afterlife in which a ruler would still need his riches and servants, which means that they may have worshiped ancestors
5.3. The Zhou had philosophies that served as a religion
5.4. The two philosophies that they believed in were Confucianism and Daoism
6. Sumerian
6.1. The Sumerian people believed in an religion called Polytheism
6.2. Polytheism was the worship of many gods, which they worked very hard to please
6.3. They believed that the gods controlled all of the natural forces and that a god protected each city-state
6.4. They also thought that gods were very human like, they fell in love and had jobs just like them except powerful
7. Science And Technology
7.1. Sumerian
7.1.1. The Sumerians made many scientific advances, one of which was the invention of the wheel
7.1.2. The wheel was used to make pottery and to build vehicles like how the Sumerians invented the plow and other carts
7.1.3. They also learned how to use bronze to make stronger tools and weapons and it was even found that they built sewers
7.1.4. Sumerians gathered plenty of medical knowledge and were even known to perform basic surgery
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. Shang had astronomers that made and accurate calendar based on the cycles of the moon
7.2.2. Developed oracle bones which were used for religion and writing
7.2.3. Zhou made chopsticks which are still used in China today
7.2.4. Zhou developed many tools for new methods of farming
8. Economy and Trade
8.1. Sumerian
8.1.1. Lacked many raw materials such as wood and metals for trade
8.1.2. To get such materials, Sumerians traded across Southwest Asia and beyond, trading woven textiles for metals, timber, and stone
8.1.3. Through trading, Sumerians recieved the necessary materials to build what they needed
8.1.4. Trading helped Sumer's economy to grow and the area to grow into the powerful and strong civilization it became
8.2. Shang/Zhou
8.2.1. There was evidence that the Shang developed one of the first systems of money
8.2.2. The Shang also occasionally used bronze and tools for trade in their time
8.2.3. Zhou learned how to use iron, which became the backbone of their economy
8.2.4. The Zhou also developed money even more by introducing coins to China