1. Religion
1.1. Sumerians
1.1.1. The Sumerians practiced Polytheism. They also believed that a god protected each city-state. Next, they believed that the gods controlled natural forces, and had human emotions, such as love, and happiness.
1.2. Shang/Zhou
1.2.1. They practiced Polytheism but later introduced Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism
2. Social Structure And Family
2.1. Sumerians
2.2. They paid scribes to make written documents. Becoming a scribe required years of school but was a way to move up in the social class. The social structure went in order from kings and priests at the top, to landowners and merchants in the middle, to the lower class of artisans, farmers and slaves. Men had political power and women took care of the home and their children.
2.3. Shang/Zhou
2.3.1. Men did most of the labor work but both men and women worked in the fields. They were majorly labeled by high, middle, and low class.
3. Economy and Trade
3.1. Sumerians
3.1.1. Priests held a high status and governed the city-states. War chiefs started working as kings. The kings formed dynasties which were series of rulers from one family. Sumerian city-states were very independents from one another and warfare between them became frequent.
3.2. Shang/Zhou
3.2.1. They would trade jade and other sources for weapons. Wealthier people or people who were higher up and closer to royalty would not trade but buy the expensive items to make weapons and not trade.
4. Science and Technology
4.1. Sumerians
4.1.1. The Sumerians developed a math system based off of the number 60. They also used geometry to create things like irrigation systems. The Sumerians were the first believed to have created the wheel, which they used for both pottery, and vehicles. Another thing they invented was the plow, which was used for farming. They also became more advanced in using bronze, to make stronger tools, and weapons. The Sumerians were also believed to have some basic medical knowledge, and even preform basic surgeries.
4.2. Shang/Zhou
4.2.1. This was known as the Bronze Era where bronze was a main source of life for these people. They would use bronze for casting and weapons. Jade was also used for these things. Later in the era iron appeared to make weapons also.
5. Geography and Agriculture
5.1. Sumerians
5.1.1. The Sumerians lived in a region known as "The Fertile Crescent." This region is located between the Mediterranean Sea, and Persian Gulf. This location in particular, had very rich and fertile soil, because it's located between the Tigris, and Euphrates rivers. This made the land good for farming, and it was known as "Mesopotamia."
5.2. Shang/Zhou
5.2.1. Rivers were their main water supply and they would deposit rich soil in the flood plains so it would become more fertile. Some places grew certain crops better due to the richness of the soil and climate.
6. Arts and Education
6.1. Sumerians
6.1.1. The Sumerian form of writing is called cuneiform which used sharp styluses to make wedge shaped symbols on clay. They began writing laws and grammar such as literature, stories, poems and songs. They created clay sculptures to represent their gods. To keep track of crops and medical knowledge they would sculpt it into clay figures.
6.2. Shang/Zhou
6.2.1. The Shang/Zhou created masks out of bronze, and other resources. These masks were made to show emotion. The Shang/Zhou also made jewelry out of jade.
7. Government and Leaders
7.1. Sumerians
7.1.1. In Sumerian villages, priest initially governed the city-states. Eventually, war chiefs began to rise as leaders. Dynasties formed, as these war chiefs continued to rule the city-states. Because each Sumerian city-state was so independent from another, warfare was frequent.
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. The last king to rule the Shang/Zhou was Shang Chou. He was a very cruel man, and even use method of torture. Eventually, a rebel by the name of Wu-Wang rose up against Chou, and= became the leader.