1. Science and Technology
1.1. Sumerians
1.1.1. Invented the wheel.
1.1.2. Invented the plow.
1.1.3. Used bronze to make stronger tools.
1.1.4. They had an impressive amount of medical knowledge.
1.2. Shang/Zhou
1.2.1. The Shang had an advance in bronze work due to the food surplus
1.2.2. Bronze vessels and objects that they made were used in rituals
1.2.3. They created the idea of huge stable structures known as tombs
1.2.4. They created precise calenders that were based on the cycles of the moon
2. Economy and Trade
2.1. Sumerians
2.1.1. Small, clay objects in different shapes called clay tokens were used for counting agricultural and manufactured goods.
2.1.2. Sumerians obtained many materials through trade.
2.1.3. They traded with people across Southwest Asia and more.
2.1.4. Sumerians exchanged woven textiles for metals, stone, and timber.
2.2. Shang/Zhou
2.2.1. The Shang were said to come up with one of the first systems of money
2.2.2. The Shang were skilled workers in bone, jade, ceramics, stone, wood, shells, and bronze, and often would sell these things in small shops
2.2.3. The main economical income came from the harvest of crops.
2.2.4. Most of the time peasants did all of the work and the nobles just ordered them around.
3. Arts and Education
3.1. Sumerians
3.1.1. They developed a writing system whose wedge-shaped strokes would influence the style of scripts in the same geographical area for the next 3000 years.
3.1.2. Most famous works of art are Sumer's cylinder seals.
3.1.3. People used cylinder seals to "sign" documents and they also used the seals to show ownership.
3.1.4. The Sumerian architecture incorporates the use of columns, arches, and ramps.
3.2. Shang/Zhou
3.2.1. The Shang did hunting for tf sport
3.2.2. Chinese writhing was close to the use of Oracle Bones and they used picture symbols
3.2.3. The schools to teach the youth were divided into lower and upper.
3.2.4. Your school depended on the education of the person, not the wealth
4. Geography & Agriculture
4.1. Sumerians
4.1.1. Lived in Fertile Crescent, which had the richest soil in the region.
4.1.2. The Fertile Crescent lies between the Tigris and Euphrates River.
4.1.3. People were farming in the region as early as 5500 BCE.
4.1.4. They grew grains such as wheat and barley.
4.2. Shang/Zhou
4.2.1. The Shang began in the Huang He Valley and they began growing crops
4.2.2. They spent time in fields, mainly focusing thier time on agriculture
4.2.3. The first city is now ruined and archaeologist refer to this city as "Ruins of Yin."
4.2.4. The shang used agricultural ploughs and other tools with wooden shafts and bronze
5. Social Structure And Family
5.1. Sumerians
5.1.1. They developed a social hierarchy.
5.1.2. The kings, priests, and principal agents were at the top
5.1.3. The slaves were at the bottom.
5.1.4. Men held political power while women took care of home and children.
5.2. Shang/Zhou
5.2.1. Created a social hierarchy.
5.2.2. Kings and Nobles were at the top.
5.2.3. Peasants were at the bottom.
5.2.4. There was a wall that divided where the Kings and Nobles live and where the Peasants and Farmers lived.
6. Religion
6.1. Sumerians
6.1.1. Religion shaped life for Sumerians.
6.1.2. They practiced polytheism, which is the worshipping of many gods.
6.1.3. They believed gods controlled all natural forces.
6.1.4. Sumerians worked hard to please the gods.
6.2. Shang/Zhou
6.2.1. Tombs contained valuable items like jade and bronze
6.2.2. Each tomb had hundreds of sacrificed prisoners.
6.2.3. The Shang believed in afterlife and centered their worship around their ancestors.
6.2.4. Oracle bones were used to communicate with the ancestors and the priests deciphered the bones.
7. Government and Leaders
7.1. Sumerians
7.1.1. Priests originally governed the city-states.
7.1.2. Later, war chiefs began to rule as kings.
7.1.3. They performed ceremonies to please the gods.
7.1.4. Many city-state kings formed dynasties.
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. Earliest Chinese ruled by Xia but there is no evidence of the Xia.
7.2.2. They went to to the Shang after that and it formed in 1766 BCE. This was a strong monarchy.
7.2.3. The Shang King was surrounded by courts and they did rituals to keep it safe.
7.2.4. Governors rules distant parts of the Shang.