Archaeological findings providing evidence for the existence of the
Shang Dynasty, c. 1600–1046 BC, are divided into two sets. The first set
– from the earlier Shang period – comes from sources at Erligang, Zhengzhou, and Shangcheng. The second set – from the later Shang or Yin (殷) period – is at Anyang, in modern-day Henan, which has been confirmed as the last of the Shang's nine capitals (c. 1300–1046 BC).[citation needed]
The findings at Anyang include the earliest written record of Chinese
past so far discovered: inscriptions of divination records in ancient
Chinese writing on the bones or shells of animals – the so-called "oracle bones", dating from around 1200 BC.
The Shang Dynasty featured 31 kings, from Tang of Shang to King Zhou of Shang. In this period, the Chinese worshipped many different gods — weather gods and sky gods — and also a supreme god, named Shangdi, who ruled over the other gods. Those who lived during the Shang Dynasty also believed that their ancestors — their parents and grandparents — became like gods when they died, and that their ancestors wanted to be worshipped, too, like gods. Each family worshipped its own ancestors.
The Records of the Grand Historian states that the Shang Dynasty moved its capital six times. The final (and most important) move to Yin in 1350 BC led to the dynasty's golden age. The term Yin Dynasty has been synonymous with the Shang dynasty in history, although it has lately been used to specifically refer to the latter half of the Shang Dynasty.
Chinese historians living in later periods were accustomed to the notion of one dynasty succeeding another, but the actual political situation in early China is known to have been much more complicated. Hence, as some scholars of China suggest, the Xia and the Shang can possibly refer to political entities that existed concurrently, just as the early Zhou is known to have existed at the same time as the Shang.
Although written records found at Anyang confirm the existence of the Shang dynasty,[citation needed]
Western scholars are often hesitant to associate settlements that are
contemporaneous with the Anyang settlement with the Shang dynasty. For
example, archaeological findings at Sanxingdui
suggest a technologically advanced civilization culturally unlike
Anyang. The evidence is inconclusive in proving how far the Shang realm
extended from Anyang. The leading hypothesis is that Anyang, ruled by
the same Shang in the official history, coexisted and traded with
numerous other culturally diverse settlements in the area that is now
referred to as China proper.
(Source: www.wikipedia.com)
The Shang Dynasty featured 31 kings, from Tang of Shang to King Zhou of Shang. In this period, the Chinese worshipped many different gods — weather gods and sky gods — and also a supreme god, named Shangdi, who ruled over the other gods. Those who lived during the Shang Dynasty also believed that their ancestors — their parents and grandparents — became like gods when they died, and that their ancestors wanted to be worshipped, too, like gods. Each family worshipped its own ancestors.
The Records of the Grand Historian states that the Shang Dynasty moved its capital six times. The final (and most important) move to Yin in 1350 BC led to the dynasty's golden age. The term Yin Dynasty has been synonymous with the Shang dynasty in history, although it has lately been used to specifically refer to the latter half of the Shang Dynasty.
Chinese historians living in later periods were accustomed to the notion of one dynasty succeeding another, but the actual political situation in early China is known to have been much more complicated. Hence, as some scholars of China suggest, the Xia and the Shang can possibly refer to political entities that existed concurrently, just as the early Zhou is known to have existed at the same time as the Shang.
(Source: www.wikipedia.com)
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