1. Shang-Zhou
1.1. Government and Leaders
1.1.1. The king appointed governors to rule distant parts of the kingdom.
1.1.2. After conquering the Shang dynasty the Zhou introduced the idea that they ruled by Mandate of Heaven. Which meant that a god would appoint a good leader and would not let a corrupt leader rule.
1.1.3. Shang China was a largely an agricultural society.
1.1.4. During the Shang dynasty China was ruled by a strong monarchy
1.2. Religion
1.2.1. They believed in life after death
1.2.2. They buried rulers with their servants
1.2.3. Shang religion focused on ancestor worship
1.2.4. As part of their worship Shang asked their ancestor's for advice
1.2.5. religion
1.3. Science
1.3.1. The Zhou learned how to use iron
1.3.2. The Zhou created the first catapult
1.3.3. AS population grew so did cities causing the creation of roads and canals
1.3.4. The Zhou also introduced coins to China and began the use of chopsticks for eating
1.3.5. New technology
1.4. Economy and Trade
1.4.1. Iron became the backbone of the Zhou economy
1.4.2. Nobles controlled large regions of land and supported the central government
1.4.3. Under the Zhou China's population grew due to a food surplus
1.5. Arts and Education
1.5.1. Inscriptions were made on bones and tortoise shells
1.5.2. Schools were divided into state and village schools
1.5.3. The Shang created highly decorative bronze vessels and objects for religious rituals
1.5.4. The Shang created a calendar based on cycles of the moon
1.5.5. Art
1.6. Social Structure and Family Life
1.6.1. The oldest male of each family was head of the household
1.6.2. Many people of the dynasty worked in fields
1.6.3. The social class system of the Shang Dynasty begins with the ruling family. The king was considered the most powerful.
1.6.4. Right behind the royal family was nobles. They were important to the king because they provided weapons for the military.
1.7. Geography and Agriculture
1.7.1. Flooding from the yellow river caused good soil called loess
1.7.2. Rice grew well thanks to the heavy rainfall during the rain season
1.7.3. North China supplied a lot of wheat and millet while the south supplied rice
1.7.4. Isolation made it hard for other groups to invade
1.7.5. River Civilization
2. Sumerians
2.1. Government and Leaders
2.1.1. Sumerian government started with the creation of city states
2.1.2. Sumerians were credited for the invention of a formal government
2.1.3. They started a government to organize their labor
2.1.4. Often priest governed city states
2.2. Religion
2.2.1. Ziggurats were places of worship and gather
2.2.2. Sumerians practiced the religion of polytheism
2.2.3. Polytheism is the belief of many gods they believed a god protected each city state
2.2.4. The beliefs of the Sumerians caused them to work hard to please the gods they often built ziggurats and offered the gods food and drinks and held ceremonies
2.2.5. Religion artifact
2.3. Science
2.3.1. The Sumerians developed a math system based on the number 60
2.3.2. The Sumerians learned geometry to help build elaborate structures and irrigation systems
2.3.3. The Sumerians used there writing to write things like laws, literature work and songs
2.3.4. The Sumerians used sharp tools to write on clay tablets this process was called styluses
2.3.5. Technolgy
2.4. Economy and Trade
2.4.1. Due to the lack of natural materials the Sumerians traded with southwest Asia exchanging textiles for metals,timber and stone
2.4.2. Merchants often transported goods by foot or donkey
2.4.3. Since grain is so bulky it was mostly transported by boat
2.4.4. The economy of the Sumerians depended heavily on agriculture
2.4.5. Due to the great fertile land of the Sumerians it made them at risk for attack many of the surrounding people wanted their land
2.5. Arts and Education
2.5.1. Most education took place in a temple with a priest
2.5.2. The students were made up of almost all male students
2.5.3. The priest was called ummia
2.5.4. Sumerian writing was called cuneiform
2.5.5. Art
2.6. Social Structure and Family Life
2.6.1. At the top of society was the kings then the priests then the their principal agents
2.6.2. Below the upper class was the large land owners
2.6.3. Below the upper class and large land owners was the majority of the populations farmers and laborers
2.6.4. Mostly men were the ones involved in political power and women mostly took care of the children
2.7. Geography and Agriculture
2.7.1. The development of agriculture allowed them to form city states.
2.7.2. The Sumerians lived in the fertile crescent which was in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
2.7.3. The Tigris and Euphrates river made the land that the Sumerians lived on very good for farming
2.7.4. The Sumerians learned how to control the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates river and used it to help them grow more crops
2.7.5. River civilization