The Shang culture, which existed from 1776 to 1122 b B.E, was known as a Dynasty of ancient China. I will attempt to provide information on the type of government that was in existence, society rule, how the economy functioned and proof of religion and art. .
The Shang dynasty was quite developed for this time period. There were towns, which were quite large, and villages in the surrounding countryside as well. Many of the modern Chinese historians feel that the Shang culture was one of a "slave society". These conclusions are supported by writings unearthed our dig and other documentation gathered from different archaeologists.
The Shang culture was quite refined. There were social classes of rich, middle class and poor. If you had no skills you were a slave. If you had some skills you were middle class and if you were born into money, you were considered rich. The rich owned the land while the poor farmed it for them. The land was used as rice fields and tea plantations. The skilled laborer existed to make tools. An extremely bright culture, they developed scripture, similar to modern Chinese writings. A calendar was found on my site, dividing the year into 12 or 13 months of 29 to 30 days each, which is still relative today. Large buildings were discovered when a central plot of land was excavated, thus allowing us to conclude that architects were in existence. We have absolute proof that the social classes existed from an excavation near Anyang, where a chariot with horses and the charioteer were dug up. Plows have been discovered that were made of wood, which supports the farming theory. Bronze swords have been discovered, thus demonstrating the skilled laborer at work.
There was evidence of a barter system. It is believed that cowrie shells were used as currency according to the current dictionary. Agriculturally they made implements, such as plows. Their technical abilities included the building of a dyke to prevent flooding.
