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What was life like in the Shang Dynasty?

Part of HistoryShang DynastyYear 3Year 4

Watch: Life in the Shang dynasty

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What was life like for ordinary people?

Man building a house.

  • Life centred around farming, hunting and animals. Houses were built from mud.

  • The oldest written texts tell us that by the end, writing was fully developed.

  • There was music and astronomers looked at the planet Mars and comets.

  • People did not eat rice or drink tea. They ate bread, wheat, cheese and beer.

Man building a house.
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What happened at the royal palace?

King sitting on a platform with a cup and spear. There are two soldiers either side of him.
  • Around the palace of Yinxu, near Anyang, there were as many as 53 buildings.
  • The king was in charge of the army and led religious ceremonies.
  • Decorated tombs were built for the kings. They were buried with carriages and weapons for the afterlife. Servants and horses, were also buried alive with them.
King sitting on a platform with a cup and spear. There are two soldiers either side of him.
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How important was bronze?

Shang era bronze maker

  • Craftspeople made a lot of bronze. This was used to make cups, bowls and weapons.

  • Bronze items were used more for religious ceremonies than in everyday life.

  • Ordinary people used stone or wood to make their cups and bowls.

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Activities

Activity 1: Sort the Shang Dynasty foods

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Activity 2: Shang dynasty quiz

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Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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