1. Social Structure and Family
1.1. Sumerians
1.1.1. Kings, priests, and principal agents were at the top of the social structure.
1.1.2. Large land owners and wealthy farmers were next in the social structure.
1.1.3. Then artisans, farmers, and laborers, at the bottom of the social structure were slaves who had been captured in battle.
1.1.4. Men held political power and women took care of the home and children, some upper class women received education and served as priestesses in temples.
1.2. Shang/Zhou
1.2.1. The king was at the top of the social structure, followed by military nobility, priests, merchants, and farmers.
1.2.2. One of the big ways the social classes were distinguished was by the burials.
1.2.3. They were a large agriculture society so most of the people worked in the fields, once in a while they were asked to fight in the army or help the salves builld.
1.2.4. The oldest male in each family was announced as the head of the household, the children had to be obedient, respectful, and never argue because then they were punished.
1.2.5. When one member of the family did something wrong the entire family was disgraced and could be punished.
2. Economy and Trade
2.1. Sumerians
2.1.1. Obtained most of their building materials and art from trade.
2.1.2. A social structure was made because of the wealth of the economy. Wealthy priests and kings were at the top, then wealthy merchants and landowners, below that was the farmers and laborers, and last were slaves.
2.1.3. Men and women had distinct roles in the economy. Men had political power and made laws, and the women cared for the home and children.
2.1.4. While trading, they exchanged woven textiles, for metals, timber, and stone.
2.2. Shang/Zhou
2.2.1. Rulers attached very great importance with agriculture.
2.2.2. The economy was centered around agriculture.
2.2.3. Developing business trade and a transportation industry we very important to them
2.2.4. Used cowrie shells as the form of currency.
3. Science and Technology
3.1. Sumerians
3.1.1. They used geometry to make irrigation systems and advanced structures.
3.1.2. Invented the wheel for pottery and vehicles.
3.1.3. They learned how to use bronze to make better tools and weapons.
3.1.4. They performed basic surgeries.
3.1.5. Wheel
3.2. Shang/Zhou
3.2.1. They worked with bronze, such as decorative objects for rituals.
3.2.2. Zhou learned how to use iron for tools and many other objects..
3.2.3. Developed roads and canals for trade and transportation.
3.2.4. They may have had the first systems for money.
3.2.5. Iron weapons
3.2.6. They made an advance calendar based on the moon.
4. Government and Leaders
4.1. Sumerians
4.1.1. War chiefs ruled as kings after many years of battling for domanince
4.1.2. The Kings preformed ceremonies to please the gods
4.1.3. Each king ruled their own city-state
4.1.4. Sumerians switched from a priest king to a more modern day king in between 2900 and 2334 B.C.E
4.2. Shang/Zhou
4.2.1. They were ruled by a strong monarchy
4.2.2. Kings were surrounded by a court made up of wealthy nobles who preformed rituals to protect the kingdom and make it stronger.
4.2.3. Kings appointed Governors to ruled more distant parts of the kingdom
4.2.4. The king had a disposal army that was responsible for preventing rebellions within the kingdom
5. Religion
5.1. Shang/Zhou
5.1.1. Their religion was based on the idea of ancestor worship.
5.1.2. They believed in afterlife.
5.1.3. They gave their ancestors gifts in order to keep them happy in their afterlife.
5.1.4. They asked ancestors for advice through oracle bones.
5.2. Sumerians
5.2.1. They practiced polytheism.
5.2.2. They believed that gods controlled all natural forces.
5.2.3. Since the gods had enormous power, they worked hard to please them.
5.2.4. They believed the gods protected each city-state.
5.2.5. religious artifact
6. Arts and Education
6.1. Sumerians
6.1.1. Sumerians used cuneiform(writing) to keep business accounts and to write works of literature.
6.1.2. Sumerians paid scribes or writers to create documents. Scribes had to have years of schooling to become one.
6.1.3. Sumerians developed a math system based on 60.
6.1.4. Sumerian architecture includes arches, ramps and columns.
6.2. Shang/Zhou
6.2.1. The best known artifacts for shang are the bronze artifacts for rituals.
6.2.2. Shang texts used picture symbols to represent objects or ideas. We saw this first on oracle bones.
6.2.3. Artist created decorative pieces with bronze.
6.2.4. Zhou started using iron which was cheaper and easier.
7. Geography and Agriculture
7.1. Sumerians
7.1.1. Located in the fertile crescent in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
7.1.2. The rivers often flooded in the spring leaving a fertile type of mud called silt which made the soil richer for farming
7.1.3. Farmers grew grains such as wheat and barley
7.1.4. The rivers were very unpredictable. They could overflow and wash out all of the crops in the area, or the river level could get too love and dry out all of the crops.
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. Located in between the Yangzi River and the Yellow river
7.2.2. Rice was grown in more southern parts and wheat and millet was grown in more northern parts.
7.2.3. The locations relative isolation aloud early civilizations to develop and grow.
7.2.4. Floods deposited silt across the valley in beween the rivers