1. Economy and Trade
1.1. Summerians
1.1.1. The basic begining for all economic sources in sumner all began with agriculture as it was the main source of trade, business, and work.
1.1.2. Sumner was known for being the trading capitol of the early civilization time, they had trade routes stretching from all four corners of the controlled area
1.1.3. Altho the are in which sumner resides is lacking in natural resources they were able to make a very heavy profit with trading textiles and rare items such as diamonds.
1.1.4. If agricultural goods wer not present in trading for either sides, many sumerians would trade textiles and precious pottery instead of crops.
1.2. Shang/Zhou
1.2.1. Merchants and traders from the Shang dynasty founds trading very easy with the available and quick transportation of the yellow river to its nearby trading partners.
1.2.2. Most common trading items were usually bronze materials as traders found the abundace of metals easy to craft and very valuable to trade.
1.2.3. Like Sumner the Shang economy centered mainly around agriculture but also fishing and fishing equipment were in high demand among lower class citizens.
1.2.4. Large bronze trinkets were heavily relied upon higher class trading, these included chests, water holders, and artwork.
2. Science
2.1. Summerians
2.1.1. Math was based on the number 60. That's why we divide hours into 60 minutes and why a circle has 360 degrees.
2.1.2. They invented the wheel. The wheel helped with pottery, transportation, building things and much more.
2.1.3. Their medical knowledge enhanced over time. They could even perform basic surgery.
2.1.4. They wrote in cuneiform. Cuneiform is the earliest form of writing. They used sharp objects such as rocks to indent into stone and clay..
2.2. Shang/Zhou
2.2.1. Their communication was expressed by writing on bones to represent objects.
2.2.2. Their weapons consisted of chariots, spears, and long bows. They used theses weapons in various wars.
2.2.3. Their buildings were made out of perishable materials. The main pillars were protected from rotting by a stone base.
2.2.4. They created the earliest examples of glazed pots in china. They would use bronze vessels with a thin glaze.
3. Religon
3.1. Summerians
3.1.1. Practiced polytheism, which is the belief and worship in more than one god.
3.1.2. They believed that the gods controlled all natural forces.
3.1.2.1. An example of this would be that the Sumerians believed that the god Enlil ruled the air and the storms.
3.1.3. The Sumerians believed that a god protected each city-state from harm.
3.1.4. They believed that the gods had human characteristics because they all ate, drank, fell in love, and married.
3.2. Shang/Zhou
3.2.1. Had royal tombs which contained valuable items made of bronze and jade.
3.2.1.1. In each tomb it held the remains of hundreds of sacrificed prisoners of war who were buried with the ruler.
3.2.2. They believed in the afterlife in which a ruler would still need his riches and servants.
3.2.3. The religion centered on the idea of ancestor worship. They gave gifts to keep the ancestors happy and fulfilled in the afterlife,
3.2.3.1. The family would prepare ritual meals with their ancestors in mind. The family actually ate the food, but it was believed that the steam coming from the food nourished the ancestors' spirits.
3.2.4. The Shang people would often ask their ancestors for advice. They sought this through the use of Oracle Bones, which is inscribed with bits of animal bone or turtle shell.
3.2.4.1. The way the Oracle Bone worked was first the person would ask the question. Then a hot piece of metal would be added to the bone, which would result cracks on the surface. And then finally trained priests interpreted the meaning of the cracks to get the answer.
4. Arts and Education
4.1. Summerians
4.1.1. Includes the uses of arches, ramps, columns, all visible on ziggurats.
4.1.1.1. Ziggurats are known as rectangular towers sometimes surmounted by a temple. They were used for religious purposes such as worship. It is made out of baked bricks and bitumen, which was supposed to protect the exterior from rain and strong wind.
4.1.2. Sumerians made their structures have characteristics.
4.1.2.1. Some characteristics would be having large, wide open eyes and small objects carved out of ivory.
4.1.3. A famous piece of art would be cylinder seals and small stone cylinders engraved with detailed designs.
4.1.3.1. They would use the cylinders for showing "picture stories" for educational purposes involving history.
4.1.3.1.1. Cylinder seals were also used to sign documents or to show ownership as well.
4.1.4. Clay was the most abundant material used for art and education.
4.2. Shang/Zhou
4.2.1. The Zhou introduced new decorative motifs, including long-tailed birds and large angular flanges.
4.2.2. During the Zhou era, they usually did figure painting and portrait art. Few of these paintings have survived from this time.
4.2.3. Chinese lacquer was used to protect fine decorative objects from water.
4.2.3.1. This is specifically used for wood and bamboo.
4.2.4. Inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells were the simple records of teaching and learning.
4.2.4.1. Known to be one of the oldest ways of teaching and learning.
5. Social Structure and Family Life
5.1. Summerians
5.1.1. They would write in cuneiform. .
5.1.1.1. Cuneiform is a type of writing indented into small rocks.
5.1.2. They lived in small dwelling with members of family.
5.1.2.1. Their dwellings were made out of clay and brick.
5.1.3. High class marriges were often held in Ziggurots.
5.1.4. Ziggurots were built for honor of Gods and buryul for leaders. They also held offerings of crops from peasants.
5.2. Shang/Zhou
5.2.1. The oldest male was the head of the family.
5.2.2. The whole family would be in disgrace if a member of the family did something wrong.
5.2.3. Children obeyed their parents without a fuss.
5.2.3.1. This was a big part of ancestor worship.
5.2.4. Farmers (peasants) were at the bottom of the social class. The Emperors were considered high class.
6. Geography and Agriculture
6.1. Sumerians
6.1.1. The large majority of sumner's cities were located just outside of the uncontrollable and unpredictable flooding of the nearby rivers .
6.1.2. The TIgris and Euphrates rives outline and provide the Sumner Civilization with many resourceful needs.
6.1.3. The rivers provided other means of crop survival for the Sumerians, It also provided irrigation for crops.
6.1.4. The rivers not only provided needs for farming and agriculture it provided a trusted and abundant area for fishing and trapping.
6.2. Shang/Zhou
6.2.1. Settling on the banks of the yellow river the Shang/Zhou Dynasties Found the low lying fertile river valleys A formidable are to begin and empire.
6.2.2. The fertile valleys of the many rivers located within the shang's boundaries provided with large crop production to be the main source of food, economy and trade in the region
6.2.3. The general area of these dynasties in modern day china is a very low lying area allowing for large fields of crops, Most common of these large field crops are rice, wheat and corn
6.2.4. The mighty Yellow River spanning 3,395 miles long provided very fast transportation of goods and troops.
7. Government and Leaders
7.1. Summerians
7.1.1. Leaders are Gods.
7.1.1.1. The Gods worried that the Chinese people would not accept them.
7.1.1.2. They believed that the Gods controlled all natural forces.
7.1.2. People thought the Gods were just like humans.
7.1.2.1. The Gods ate, drank, fell in love, married, and fought.
7.1.3. Gods protected each city-state.
7.1.3.1. There way of life was sorted by city-states.
7.1.4. Didn't have a real government.
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. Government was strong monarchy.
7.2.2. No one held power; only Gods.
7.2.2.1. The Gods worried that the Chinese people would not accept them and the way they ruled.
7.2.3. King appointed governors to rule distant parts of the kingdom.
7.2.4. Rules by Mandate of Heaven.
7.2.4.1. To gain the Chinese people's respect, the Zhou people introduced the idea of the Mandate of Heaven.
7.2.4.1.1. Then using the Mandate of Heaven they explained the dynastic cycle.