Art History 370/East Asian 355: Arts of China

Study Sheet #2: The Shang Dynasty

Map marking ancient sites, modern cities and provinces

Until written evidence is found to document the historical existence of a Xia dynasty (see Study Sheet #1), the Shang is the earliest dynasty mentioned in ancient texts that has been confirmed by archaeological excavations. The Shang had a highly stratified society, built walled cities, used bronze, practiced divination, and conducted elaborate sacrifices to royal ancestors. Many Shang artifacts without specific provenance, particularly bronze vessels, survive in collections outside China, but many can now be identified more confidently through comparisons with scientifically excavated objects.

CHRONOLOGY

Traditional dates: 1766-1122 BCE
Revised dates: 1523-1028 BCE
Clunas's dates: c. 1500-1050 BCE
Approximate and easiest to remember: 16th-11th c. BCE

Early Shang (or Xia):

 

At Erlitou, a site in Henan, 4 levels of cultural remains dating from ca. 1900-1600 BCE show the evolution from the Neolithic through Shang periods. The second level from the top includes a palace foundation, a few bronzes, jades, pottery, etc., which many Chinese archaeologists believe to represent the Xia dynasty (see Study Sheet #1), while others identify the remains as an early Shang capital.

Middle Shang:

Remains were found first at Zhengzhou, Henan (ca. 1500 BCE) and then at other sites over a broad area, including Panlongcheng in Hubei province and Funan in Anhui province. Features of these sites include a city wall, workshops, large tombs and many artifacts of bronze, jade, pottery, etc.

• Zhengzhou
  
  
  
  
• Panlongcheng
  
  
  
  
• Funan
  
  
  
  
• unprovenanced
  
  

Late Shang:

The last Shang capital was at Anyang (called "Yin"), Henan, from ca. 1320 BCE onward. Archaeological excavations in the 1930s found large tombs of late Shang kings and consorts, which although robbed in antiquity still contained many artifacts of bronze, jade, pottery, ivory, etc.; as well as associated human and animal sacrifices, and oracle bones. The previously undisturbed tomb of Lady Hao (Fu Hao), a royal consort and general, was excavated in 1976.

 

Excavated at Anyang:

 

Unprovenanced but in Anyang style:

Elsewhere in China there are many sites with remains dating to the Late Shang period that differ from Anyang in some ways, while sharing other elements in common. These sites include Ningxiang in Hubei; Xin'gan in Jiangxi; and Sanxingdui in Sichuan province.

• Ningxiang
  
  
  
• Xin'gan
  
  
• Sanxingdui
  
  
  
• unprovenanced but in regional styles
  

ART AND CULTURE

Early writing:

• oracle bones: animal bones (ox scapula) and tortoise shells (plastrons) used in divination by high priests; yes-no questions asked and answers read in pattern of cracks; questions and answers incised directly on the bone as a record of the divination. (Rediscovered in 1899).
  
  
  
  
• inscriptions cast into bronze vessels - pictograms, clan signs, short dedications.
  

Bronze ritual vessels:

• use: preparing and offering ritual sacrifices of food and wine to royal ancestors
  
  

• direct-casting in ceramic section-molds
  
  

• shapes: some from ceramic tradition (round), some architectonic (square), some sculptural (irregular).
  
  
• surface decoration:
  
  • taotie ("monster mask"), evolution through Loehr's 5 Styles (I, II, III, IV, V).
    
    
    
    
    
  • dragons in profile, zoomorphs (tiger, cicada, birds, snake, etc.)
    
    
  • leiwen ("thunder pattern") as background filler

Jade-working:

ritual blades, small ornaments, small sculptural jades in animal and human forms.

Other crafts:

carved bone, ivory, and marble; ceramics include a fine white ware.