Year OneHistory | UKS2 | The Shang Dynasty | Gods and Kings | Lesson 3

The Shang Dynasty

History

Success Criteria

Aim• I can explain some of the religious beliefs and practices of the people from the

Shang dynasty.

• I can tell you where some of the evidence about Shang religion comes from.

• I can research and present information to describe a specific aspect of Shang religion.

• I can identify the key information about different aspects of Shang religion.

• I can ask and answer questions to show I understand about several aspects of Shang religion.

Shang Religion

1. How do you think we know about the religious beliefs of the Shang dynasty?

2. Where do you think our information comes from?

3. How accurate do you think the information is?

Discuss these questions with the other children in your group.

Look at these pictures and the objects in them. What are they? These two sources of evidence have helped to teach us a lot about Shang religion. What do you think they

have taught us?

Finding Evidence

The excavation of Shang tombs and the study of oracle bones have provided us with detailed information about Shang religion.

Finding EvidenceTombs and Bones

Looking carefully at the organisation and layout of Shang tombs and examining the objects found in them has helped us to understand a lot about the Shang views on life, death and the afterlife. Furthermore, the inscriptions on oracle bones provide written evidence describing their customs, practices and beliefs.

You are going to work in groups to look at an aspect of Shang religion in more detail and create a presentation about it. However, it is very important to

remember that all aspects were closely linked and together made up the full belief system, so some of the information in the different presentations will overlap.

Shang Religion Presentations

• The Role of the King• Ceremonies and Sacrifices• Family and Ancestor Worship• Gods• Tombs and Burial Customs

You teacher will tell you which presentation to work on.Use the information on your planning sheet to help you get started.

The Presentations

Are you ready to learn even more about the Shang

religion?

Watch and listen carefully to each group as they make their presentation. Use the Shang Religion Notes Activity Sheet to write down key facts that

you learn.

Shang Religion Quiz

How much do you think you have learnt about Shang

religion?

Work with a partner to complete the Shang religion quiz. The tricky part is that you have been given the

answers and it is up to you to write the questions.

Good luck!

Success Criteria

Aim• I can explain some of the religious beliefs and practices of the people from the

Shang dynasty.

• I can tell you where some of the evidence about Shang religion comes from.

• I can research and present information to describe a specific aspect of Shang religion.

• I can identify the key information about different aspects of Shang religion.

• I can ask and answer questions to show I understand about several aspects of Shang religion.

Success Criteria

Aim• I can explain about the discovery, purpose and significance of oracle bones.

• I can tell you who Wang Yirong is and what he discovered.

• I can answer comprehension questions to demonstrate my understanding about oracle bones.

• I can describe what happened during a Shang divination ceremony.

• I can make a model of an oracle bone and inscribe it with Chinese writing.

The 19th century traditional Chinese medicine included the use of ‘dragon bones’, which were ground up and used in tonics and creams to treat illnesses and soothe wounds.

These ‘dragon bones’ had been dug up and re-buried by Chinese farmers for thousands of years before their supposed medicinal benefits were exploited.

Dragon Bone Medicine

1. Why do you think ‘dragon bones’ were used in Chinese medicine?2. What special qualities would you expect ‘dragon bones’ to have?3. What else do you know about traditional Chinese medicine?

In 1889, a collector of Chinese bronzes called Wang Yirong bought a number of these ‘dragon bones’ from an antiques dealer.

It was Wang who first realised that the ‘dragon bones’ might not actually be from dragons after all.

It is reported that when Wang was sick with malaria, he and his friend Liu E studied the dragon bones before they were ground into powder. They noticed that they had writing on them, which matched the writing on Wang’s bronzes.

Wang Yirong’s Story

Why was Wang’s discovery so significant?

Further study revealed that the ‘dragon bones’ were in fact oracle bones, which were used in divination ceremonies by Shang priests and kings to foretell events in the

future. You can learn more about oracle bones by watching this video.

Wang Yirong’s Story

The mystery of the ‘dragon bones’ was finally revealed!

Read the information on your activity sheet and answer the questions.

Dragon BonesMystery Cracked

What exactly happened during a divination ceremony using an oracle bone? Read the information on your activity sheet and try to put the events in order on the comic

strip.

Conducting aDivination Ceremony

Use modelling clay to make a model of an oracle bone and carefully inscribe some oracle bone script onto it.

Making a ModelOracle Bone

Success Criteria

Aim• I can explain about the discovery, purpose and significance of oracle bones.

• I can tell you who Wang Yirong is and what he discovered.

• I can answer comprehension questions to demonstrate my understanding about oracle bones.

• I can describe what happened during a Shang divination ceremony.

• I can make a model of an oracle bone and inscribe it with Chinese writing.