1. Social Structure and Family Life
1.1. Sumerians
1.1.1. There was a ranking between people, above everyone was Kings, Priests, and Principal agents. Next was large landowners, merchants. Below all of these people were artisans, farmers, laborers. Men held all political positions where women was home with the children.
1.2. Shang/Zhou
1.2.1. For all people during Shang and Chou times, family was all important. The oldest male of each family, from nobles to peasants, was the head of the household. Children were required to be respectful, obedient, and to never argue. (If they did, they were severely punished.) If one member of the family did something wrong, the entire family was in disgrace and could be punished.
2. Geography and Agriculture
2.1. Sumerians
2.1.1. Large fertile soil was near the area the Sumerians called home, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were very rich and provided a lot of resources. Farming was difficult some times because they received little rain.
2.2. Shang/Zhou
2.2.1. They made medal vases and taught classes on how to make and create them. There wasn't a lot of soil to grow things, so they struggled to grow crops. It always rain, so there was many floods. But rain helped the crops grow so they had enough surplus to live.
3. Economy and Trade
3.1. Sumerian
3.1.1. Sumer lacked many raw materials, such as metal and wood and had to obtain these from trade. They traded with people from Southwest Asia, trading woven textiles and metals, timber, and stones.
3.2. Shang/Zhou
3.2.1. Their man income came from farming and harvest of crops. Silk later became China's main trade export. They formed an economic structure and manufactured weapons, ritual vessels, jewelry, and other interests.
4. Science and Technology
4.1. Shang/zhou
4.1.1. They practiced human sacrifice, mastered bronze technology, domesticated the horse, and introduced the horse-drawn chariot. They were also the first culture in China to have a fully developed writing system.
4.2. Sumerian
4.2.1. Developed a math system that went around the number 60. Because of this system we always divide an hour by 60 minutes and a circle into 360 degrees. They also learned Geometry. They invented the wheel, which they used in pottery and used to build vehicles, also invented the plow and many other things. They also preformed basic surgeries.
5. Shang/Zhou
6. Government and Leaders
6.1. Sumerians
6.1.1. Priests held a high status in city-states, but as city-states began fighting over land, kings began to rule.
6.2. Shang/Zhou
6.2.1. The political system of the establishment of numerous political states in East China. They belonged to a highly stratified society ruled by an aristocracy where kings were the political, military, and religious leaders.
7. Religion
7.1. Sumerians
7.1.1. In the worship of nature, such as wind and water. Gods in human form were now seen to have control over nature.
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. Ancestral rites also were performed at the local and familial levels. It was common then, as it is today, to find ancestral temples and shrines in towns and villages dedicated to individuals, who became deities through legends surrounding their lives and deaths. In most homes there was an altar for wood plaques or paper with the names of deceased relatives.