Starter quiz
- Shang Dynasty cities were surrounded by ...
- fences
- thin walls
- thick walls ✓
-
- Which of these were the locations of Shang Dynasty cities?
- Anyang ✓
- Harappa
- Mohenjo-Daro
- Zhengzhou ✓
-
- The Shang Dynasty started in the ______ Valley in China.
- 'Yellow River' ✓
- Which of these were inside the Shang Dynasty cities?
- bronze workshops ✓
- temples ✓
- palaces ✓
- farmers houses
- jade workshops ✓
-
- The Shang Dynasty began later than the other major ancient civilisations.
- True ✓
- False
- Bronze weapons and armour helped the Shang Dynasty kings to defend their ...
- religion
- empire ✓
- boats
- tombs
-
Exit quiz
- An object that can hold food, used for ceremonies or for display is called a...
- ancestor
- status
- ding ✓
-
- The Shang Dynasty people used bronze dings to offer sacrifices to their ______ and ancestors.
- 'gods' ✓
- Select all the features of a bronze ding.
- decoration ✓
- handles ✓
- bowl shape ✓
- legs ✓
-
- The people of the Shang Dynasty believed that their ancestors could help them in life.
- True ✓
- False
- Owning lots of bronze dings showed that a person had a ______ status.
- low
- high ✓
-
- Which of these is the definition for the word 'status'?
- a person who was in someone's family in past times
- a person's rank or importance compared to others ✓
- an object that can hold food, used for ceremonies or for display
-
Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- One reason why we know so much about the Shang Dynasty is because of their use of bronze.
- Bronze dings were highly important to the Shang Dynasty.
- The large size of many dings has led archaeologists to believe they were used to offer sacrifices to gods and ancestors.
- If the ancestors of a family were pleased, life for that family would be prosperous.
- Dings required complicated moulds to produce. Wealthy Shang Dynasty used them to demonstrate their status.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that sacrifices were only offered to gods.
The belief that the ancestors held power over the living family was very strong in the Shang Dynasty. The people wanted to remember them, keep them happy and asked for blessings for their actions in life.
Keywords
Ding - a ding is an object that can hold food, used for ceremonies or for display
Sacrifice - a sacrifice is something given to a god or an ancestor as an act of worship
Ancestor - an ancestor is a person who was in someone's family in past times
Status - a person's rank or importance compared to others is their status
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