Objects from the Shang dynasty give us clues to the concerns of people more than 3,000 years ago.
c. 1600–1046 B.C.E.
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What is the Shang dynasty?
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War and Sacrifice: The Tomb of Fu Hao
The discovery of Fu Hao’s tomb and the material objects she used in life and death confirmed Fu Hao’s role as one of the most important female military commanders, warriors, and ritualists in the history of ancient China.
Lidded ritual ewer
This container was one of many that was used to hold wine, water, grain, or meat in sacrifices to ancestors or in ritual banquets by Shang kings.
Tigers, dragons, and, monsters on a Shang Dynasty Ewer
Tigers, dragons, and, monsters on a Shang Dynasty Ewer
Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1050 B.C.E.), an introduction
Learn about how the Shang people left many legacies for later generations in China
Oracle Bone, Shang Dynasty
The writing on these bones is 3000 years old, but scholars can decipher an incredible 40 percent of the characters.
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