Shang Inventions
Math/Science
The Shang weren't extremely advanced in these fields of study, though some notable accomplishments would be their
- Advanced Calendar with accurate depiction of days and years
- Basic understanding of Astronomy, as oracles and fortune tellers based their beliefs upon stars, planets, moons, and other extraterrestrial objects. They knew about eclipses and dates of when certain celestial happenings occurred
- Accounting, with the use of both odd and even numbers
Technology
Writing
This is the first period of time that Chinese writing began to develop. The earliest records were numerous kinds of characters, pictographs, ideograms, and phonograms. Shang records are considered the oldest written form of communication in China. Writing was done by carving into bones, shells, bronze, and bamboo (or sewing into silk), and some artifacts found today are used as historical evidence, though much of it is now gone over the long course of time.
It is said that Chinese writing forms were first inspired by animal patterns of markings and footprints, and a man named Cangjie tried to imitate these through written characters. |
Shang Arts
Artforms
The Chinese attention to detail is ever-present, even this early in history. Specialized craftsmen were often the ones who created works of decorative art.
- Sculptures of bronze, stone, and jade were superb with intricate pictures
- Paintings were less common, but those that are found show the same attention to details
- Porcelain and pottery work prominently stood for this era, with the use of molds and glazes
Music