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===The Xia dynasty=== | ===The Xia dynasty=== | ||
Traditional Chinese historiography considers the Xia (''Xià Cháo,'' 夏朝) to be the first dynasty in Chinese history | Traditional Chinese historiography considers the Xia (''Xià Cháo,'' 夏朝) to be the first dynasty in Chinese history.<ref name=":2" /> The Xia however did not leave any written records, but did leave a clear demarcation to prior forms of societies before them.<ref name=":1">{{Citation|author=Dr. Ken Hammond|year=2004|title=From Yao to Mao: 5000 years of Chinese history|chapter=Lecture 2: The first dynasties|publisher=The Teaching Company}}</ref> Interestingly enough, some scholars believe that the Erlitou civilization along the Yellow River was the site of the original Xia dynasty.<ref>Allan, Sarah (2007). "Erlitou and the Formation of Chinese Civilization: Toward a New Paradigm". ''The Journal of Asian Studies''. '''66''' (2): 461–496. doi:10.1017/S002191180700054X. S2CID 162264919. | ||
pp 489 - 490</ref> | pp 489 - 490</ref> | ||
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Dr. Hammond theorizes that this emergent class of leaders solidified their power by performing rituals for the populace. The Xia's ancestors performed [[totemism]], a practice in which animal spirits are associated with particular tribal or clan families. In the Xia dynasty, the worship of totems of one particular family was transformed into a royal ancestral cult. In other words, not only the spirits of animals, but the spirits of the ancestors of the present day rulers came to be seen as divine powers. This further solidified the power of the royal family and laid the foundation for [[Monarchism|monarchy]] in Chinese society.<ref name=":1" /> | Dr. Hammond theorizes that this emergent class of leaders solidified their power by performing rituals for the populace. The Xia's ancestors performed [[totemism]], a practice in which animal spirits are associated with particular tribal or clan families. In the Xia dynasty, the worship of totems of one particular family was transformed into a royal ancestral cult. In other words, not only the spirits of animals, but the spirits of the ancestors of the present day rulers came to be seen as divine powers. This further solidified the power of the royal family and laid the foundation for [[Monarchism|monarchy]] in Chinese society.<ref name=":1" /> | ||
The Xia civilisation ultimately did not leave many details as to their way of life, and most of their records came from the subsequent Shang dynasty, who shared many consistent features with the Xia.<ref name=":1" /> | |||
===The Shang dynasty=== | ===The Shang dynasty=== | ||
The Shang dynasty (''Shāng Cháo,'' 商朝), named after the royal family, begins around 1500 BCE. | The Shang dynasty (''Shāng Cháo,'' 商朝), named after the royal family, begins around 1500 BCE. Dr. Hammond notes that traditional Chinese historiography uses a very elaborate and precise chronology which would place the Shang dynasty at 1766 BC, but that modern archeological investigations cannot confirm this date, and so the actual date of their foundation remains vague.<ref name=":1" /> | ||
==== Oracle bones divination ==== | ==== Oracle bones divination ==== |