What happened c. 1150 BCE?

The last Shang king, Shang Zhou, committed suicide after his army was defeated by the Zhou people. Legends say that his army betrayed him because they joined the Zhou rebels in a decisive battle that took place.

The classical novel- Fengshui Yanyi is about the war between the Yin and Zhou. Each was favored and supported by one group of gods.

After Yin's collapse, the surviving Yin ruling family collectively changed their surname from their royal Zi (子) to the name of their fallen dynasty, Yin (殷). The family remained aristocratic and often provided needed administrative services to the succeeding Zhou Dynasty. The King Cheng of Zhou, through the Regent, his uncle the Duke Dan of Zhou, enfeoffed the former Shang King Zhou's brother Ziqi (子啟) as the ruler of Wei (微), in the former Shang capital at Shang (商), with the territory becoming the state of Song later in history. The State of Song and the royal Shang descendants maintained rites to the dead Shang kings which lasted until 286 BC.

Both Korean and Chinese legends state that a disgruntled Yin prince named Jizi (箕子), who had refused to cede power to the Zhou, left China with his garrison and founded Gija Joseon, and it would become one of the early Korean states (Go-, Gija-, and Wiman-Joseon).

Many Shang clans migrated northeast and were integrated into Yan culture during the Western Zhou period. These clans maintained an elite status and continued their sacrificial and burial traditions.

(Source: Records of the Grand Historian.)

Religion

The Shang worshipped the "Shang Ti." As this god ruled as a supreme god over lesser gods, the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, and other natural forces and places, ancestor worship became a part of the Shang religion. Sacrifice to the gods and the ancestors were also a major part of the Shang religion. When a king died, hundreds of slaves and prisoners were often sacrificed and buried with him. People were also sacrificed in lower numbers when important events, such as the founding of a palace or temple, occurred.

The Shang king had considerable power over his subjects. Public works were built that needed many people. The capital at Zhengzhou, for instance, had a wall of stamped earth around it that was four miles long and up to 27 feet high in areas. Stamped earth walls were made by pounding thin layers of earth which is within a movable wooden frame. The earth then becomes as hard as cement.

From Google images and Religion at Shang Dynasty

What happened c. 1500 BCE?

There are many possible answers to the rapid end to the Indus Valley Civilisation. It might be the invasion of the Aryan and tried to bomb the area. Maybe there was a crisis like drought, famine, influenza, flood, earthquake and lots more. However, the reason why the Indus Valley Civilisation had to the end is not known, it is still a mystery. Historians are still trying to find more evidence to know the reason why.

From Wikipedia on Aryan invasion theory

Indus Valley Civilisation Writings

Seals or ceramic pots has insriptions that are no more than 4 or 5 characters in length; the longest is 26 characters. But comparative studies have shown that Indus writing evolved into the much later Brahmi script.

The inscriptions are so short, some scholars wonder whether the Indus script fell short of a true writing system. Still, it is possible that longer texts were written in perishable media. Morever, there is one, small piece of evidence suggesting that the script embodies a well-known, widespread, and complex communication system. Evidence has been found that appears to be the remnants of a large sign that was mounted above the gate to the city. It was probably designed to inform travelers of the city's name, analogous to the welcome signs seen today along highways leading to major cities.

From WEBINDIA123.com , File: Triseal.jpg- Wikipedia & Google images.

Indus Valley Civilisation types of Occupations

List 3 possible occupation and your support your findings with images and explanation.

1. Sword maker- The discovery of various equipments such as axes, knives, spears and daggers made of bronze and copper suggest metal work as a major profession commonly pursued in the towns.

2. Pot maker- Pottery in red with designs painted in black resembling shapes such as interesting circles, pipal, leaves, peacocks were on it.

3. Designer- The discovery of numerous seals made of clay with figures of animals like the tiger, rhinoceros, elephant and crocodile gives us more information of the significance of these animals in the Harappan society.

From Harappa.com

The Great Bath in Indus Valley (Mohenjodaro)

Great Bath and Granary, SD Area

The Great Bath is along a north-south street.It has a drain covered with limestone blocks. This is the so-called Granary, whereas in the foreground are the walls of many domestic structures.

Great Bath, SD Area, looking north
The Great Bath has two wide staircases, one from the north and the other one from the south. The floor of the tank is watertight because of the finely fitted bricks build with gypsum plaster. Brick colonnades were discovered every edges, but the western edge was missing. Now, it is replaced these missing columns.



Great Bath, SD Area
The floor slopes down to the corner where a brick drain leads to a small outlet, which takes the water to the edge of the mound.

From Harappa.com

Recap Question Page 23

1. What are primary and secondary sources?

Primary sources are information provided by people who were involved in historical events or who witnessed the events. There are four main types of primary sources: written, oral, pictorial and reference.

Secondary sources are the records of the people who did not directly participate in or witness the events they describe. These records are the result of the study and investigation of primary sources. They may take the form of books, journal articles and essays, films, documentaries and cartoons.

2. How do the historians make sure that their sources are reliable?

Historians make sure that their evidence is reliable by using the three Cs- Credibility, Consistency and Corroboration- test. First, they have to ask if the person who provided the evidence is trustworthy. If they suspect that the person has any reason to lie or exaggerate, the evidence may be considered unreliable. Secondly, historians ask whether the evidence is consistent by considering if it contains statement that have similar meanings. Lastly, they have to corroborate the evidence by saying or reporting means to provide information to support it.

3. Why and when is it necessary for historians to revise their interpretations of past events?

New pieces of evidence are constantly being discovered and such evidence can provide new ways of looking at the past. Therefore, historians have to be prepared to 'update' and revise their views or interpretation of events as new evidence becomes available. As new pieces of evidence become available and new questions about the past are asked, our views of the past change.