1. Social Structure and Family Life
1.1. Sumerians
1.1.1. There was a social structure with high, middle, and low class.The government officials, the king, the priests, landowners and the wealthy traders and merchants where the high class. The middle class consisted of fishermen, farmers, artisans, and potters and scribes. The lower class was the slaves.
1.2. Shang/Zhou
1.2.1. Shang dynasty created a social structure where the king was on top then military, nobility, priest, merchants, and then farmers. Burials was one way to know the social structure. the elite where buried in pit tombs with objects that meant wealth. Then the poorer where buried in pits of many sizes and sometimes where through down wells.
2. Economy and Trade
2.1. Sumerians
2.1.1. Sumerians traded art that they made. They also traded tools and food. Sumerians bronze coin dating back from 1300 BC, on one side it represents a sheaf of wheat and on the other it is the goddess of fertility, Ishtar
2.2. Shang/Zhou
2.2.1. Shang rulers believed that their was a great importance to agriculture. Fishing began to grow because they lived near fresh water .Cowrie shells an item that were used as currency.
3. Religion
3.1. Sumerians
3.1.1. The Sumerians worshiped a god named Enlin, the Sky God. The purposes of man was to worship their gods. They would burn incense at their altars.
3.2. Shang/Zhou
3.2.1. The Shang dynasty was polytheistic meaning that they worshiped many gods . They thought that success of crops and the health of people was because of the happiness of dead ancestors.The Shang worshipped the Shang Di who was the supreme god that ruled over the other gods of the sun. The Shang believed that if you didn't make sacrifices for animals ancestors and nature gods then your family and civilization would have bad consequences
4. Geography and Agriculture
4.1. Sumerians
4.1.1. The Sumerians lived in Mesopotamia. The Sumerians planted barley, wheat, onions, turnips, grapes, apples and dates. They kept animals like, kept cattle, sheep and goats.
4.2. Shang/Zhou
4.2.1. The Shang dynasty was located by the Yellow and Yangtze river .The Shang dynasty farmed millets, wheat, rice and barley. They domesticated pigs, dogs, sheep, oxen, and silkworms.
5. Arts and Education
5.1. Sumerians
5.1.1. They made sickles bricks painted pottery and figurines. The Sumerians made statues of animals, such as goats, rams, bulls and lions, as well as mythical creatures such as lions and bulls with men's heads
5.2. Shang/Zhou
5.2.1. In about 2000 B.C the bronze age started in China . The tombs of Shang kings had hundreds of small bronze objects. They made art out of tin, copper, and bronze.
6. Science and Technology
6.1. Sumerians
6.1.1. The Sumerians developed a writing system. The writing was known as cuneiform.They made stone tools such as hoes, knifes, and adzes. They also made a science system which contain three groups,mathematics, astronomy and medicine.
6.2. Shang/Zhou
6.2.1. The dynasties used a writing system where they wrote on tortoise shells. they told about military missions, pregnancies, and what to do for a toothache .The questions, answers ,and outcomes were all recorded on the bones.
7. Government and Leaders
7.1. Sumerians
7.1.1. The first city/state was formed by the Sumerian people. Their leader was Etana of kish. .In early Sumerian cities, the temple stood at the very centre of public life, both political and religious.The Sumerian kings received advice from a General Assembly made up of elected men
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. King Wen became the leader of the Zhou dynasty in 1152-1056. Wen's growing power disputed to the Shang dynasties court and then they imprisoned him.