1. Religion
1.1. Sumerians
1.1.1. The Sumerians practice polytheism, they believed gods controlled all natural forces.
1.1.2. Believed their gods were similar to people, they fought, loved, ate and drank.
1.1.3. These people believed that the gods protected each city-state.
1.1.4. Sumerians priest hold high status in their communities, and would perform s=ceremonies to please the gods.
1.2. Shang/Zhou
1.2.1. From scientist looking in tombs and finding valuables and sacrificed soldiers the Shang/Zhou believed in an afterlife.
1.2.2. The religion circled an idea that they worshiped ancestors and offered gifts to them when they buried people.
1.2.3. Often they asked their ancestors for advice and help throughout their life, they used oracle bones made from animals or turtle shells to do so.
1.2.4. Families would steam food and eat together, they ate with their ancestors in mind, they believed the steam from the food was a way to nourish the ancestors' sprites.
2. Government and Leaders
2.1. Sumerians
2.1.1. In many Sumerian city-states they were ruled by dynasty that the king appointed.
2.1.2. War Chiefs in the city-states began to rule as kings and establish dominance in the village.
2.1.3. The were seen as the gods chief representatives to and had ceremonies to please the gods.
2.1.4. The Sumerian kings were advised by priest and nobles.
2.2. Shang/Zhou
2.2.1. The city was ruled by a strong monarchy. At the capital the kings were surrounded by a court or wealthy nobles.
2.2.2. To help with maintaining order, the king assigned governors to different sides of the kingdom.
2.2.3. To help protect the kingdom, the king had a large disposal army, they were used to fight other people and stop rebellions.
2.2.4. When the army was failing farmers and slaves were used as well in the armies.
3. Geography and Agriculture
3.1. Sumerians
3.1.1. They built their city by two rivers one on each side. This was easier for them to make farms and grow crops.
3.1.2. The rivers the Sumerians utilized where the Tigris and Euphrates, when flooded and fueled their irrigation system.
3.1.3. Located in Mesopotamia the Sumerians enjoyed the fertile crescent.
3.1.4. Outside the city-state there was a desert, there was little resources and no fertile soil to grow crops.
3.2. Shang/Zhou
3.2.1. The Shang/Zhou area had a combination of rivers and irrigation to help their crops flourish and grow.
3.2.2. They had the Himalayan mountains to stop soldiers and enemy's from India and southern Asia from attacking their city.
3.2.3. Their main source of food was cereal grains such as wheat, barley, rice and millet. Fruit did grow there as well as nuts and vegetables.
3.2.4. Much of the area that the Shang lived in was surrounded by mountains, hills, and deserts. They were isolated in their area which helped keep most of their enemys out and away from their city.
4. Arts and Education
4.1. Sumerians
4.1.1. The Sumerian writing is know as cuneiform. To make this writing they used sharp tools called styluses to wedge into clay tablets.
4.1.2. A better life for a Sumerian would becoming a scribe. It took many years of schooling but they moved higher up in the social class.
4.1.3. Their first writings were used for laws and grammar and later created literature and poems.
4.1.4. Cuneiform is one of the oldest written languages to ever be deciphered.
4.1.5. Shang/Zhou
4.1.5.1. The Shang had astronomers create a precise calendar based on how they saw the moon travel.
4.1.5.2. The dynasty made progress in music. Advancements in bronze work made it possible to create delicate musical interments. Ocarinas, drums and cymbals were just a few of these interments.
4.1.5.3. Typically children were educated orally.Education was largely controlled by the state. "Guan Xue" education was learning of government affairs and was just one of many curriculum thought by the Shang Zhou.
4.1.5.4. In school children were thought about the caste system and of their position in in it.
4.1.5.5. children who attended school were most often aristocrats and the children of high ranking individuals.
5. Economy and Trade
5.1. Sumerians
5.1.1. The Sumerians had flourishing trade networks where the obtained raw materials such as wood, metals and and stone.
5.1.2. Within the Sumerian clan kings and priest were the wealthiest and owned the most land within the villages.
5.1.3. Men worked and women took care of the home and children. Men were more educated, had many skills to boost their economy through trade.
5.1.4. Jobs within the community included stonecutters, bricklayers, metal smiths, farmers, sailors and many more.
5.2. Shang/Zhou
5.2.1. There is evidence that the shang- zhou may have created one of the first systems of currency.
5.2.2. These people places value on handicrafts such as bronze wares, porcelain pottery and fine silk weaving, boosted economy.
5.2.3. Fishing industry grew as people began to fish the fresh water near by.
5.2.4. Pride was taken in bronze artistry. The most famous work was Simuwu Quadripod, weighing 832.84 kg
6. Science and Technology
6.1. Sumerians
6.1.1. The Sumerians developed a mathematical system that helped them build their empire and elaborated structures.
6.1.2. The Sumerians had developed the wheel to help pull carts full of supplies and goods, other inventions included the sailboat, chariot and the plow.
6.1.3. Built cites along the rivers to improve irrigation for their crops.
6.1.4. They made knife and axes to help with cutting meat and collecting plants.
6.2. Shang/Zhou
6.2.1. The Shang/Zhou had many great advantages in buildings, they were able to build strong, large structures that were stable enough to go in and be used.
6.2.2. Many of the Shang were skilled with working with bronze and making them into vessels and objects.
6.2.3. When the Shang used bronze to make vessels and pots they did not sculpt them like clay but used molds and melted bronze and poured it in the mold.
6.2.4. They had an advance way of making houses. The built stable structures out of rammed earth, wood and mud walls. The buildings were placed on platforms to keep them stable.
7. Social Structure and Family Life
7.1. Sumerians
7.1.1. Males held political powers and were more educated then the women, some women how ever received education and worked as priestesses in temples.
7.1.2. The Amelu where at the top of the caste system, the system groups included Government officials, professional soldiers, and priests.
7.1.3. The middle class or the society included shopkeepers, farmers, merchants and laborers. These people were know as mushkinu.
7.1.4. Families in the city included a mother a father and children. The father worked in a trade and taught the son. The mother stayed home and maintained the children.
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. The social class of the Shang empire included, the king and aristocracy, the military, artisans and craftsmen, and peasants.
7.2.2. Farmers and craftsmen were seen as the lowest class and were peasants to the nobles and the king.
7.2.3. Families lived in houses together, the father worked and the mother stayed home to watch after the kids. The family ate together and would do religious activities together.
7.2.4. Nobles and kings were treated as gods and had higher powers then lower class people of the cites.