Ancient Empires Final

Shang Dynasty

• 1555-1046 BC

• Capital at Anyang

• Earliest Chinese Writing

• Discovery of the Shang Oracle Bones

Zhou Dynasty

• 1045-256 BC

• 1059-1049: Wen, ruler Zhou, campaigns against Shang following a planetary alignment over Northern China

• 1046: Wen’s son, Wu, defeats Shang King

• Used title of Mandate of Heaven (Tianming)

Spring and Autumn Period

Warring States Period

• 480-221 BC

• 20 states compete for power; Zhou remains in E. China

• 300 BC: 7 states remain

• Period of intellectual creativity

• More iron-working

• Counties (Xian): Administrative districts within states

• Emergence of small farmers and nuclear families

Han Dynasty

Xin Dynasty

Yellow River

Northern river providing fertile soil, floodplain, and facilitated travel

Yangzhi River

Wei River

Xinjiang Basin

Ferghana Valley

Zhou

Qin

Zhao

Han

Chu

Wu

Anyang

Luoyang

Xianyang

Chang’an

Oracle Bones

di

sacrifice

Mandate of Heaven (Tianming)

lineages

counties (Xian)

Legalism

Five-family units

Ranking System

Battle of Chongping

“Straight Road”

Commanderies (Jun)

Enfeoffment

Rebellion of the Feudatories

Landlordism

Universal Military Service

Frontiers

Shi

Daoism

Nomads

Xiongnu

Tianxia

“Peace and Kinship” (he Qin)

Protectorate of the Western Regions

Qiang

Count Wen of Zhou

First Emperor (Qin Chi Huangdi)

Liu Bang

Emperor Wu

Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun

Wang Mang

Shang Yang

Lu Buwei

Xiang Yu of Chu

Cao Cao

Confucius

Mencius

Zhang Qian