Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty in my opinion is the most important dynasty to have ever existed in China because it was the first civilization to leave written records. Many historians cannot agree upon when the Dynasty came to be. Some argue that it came to be in the mid-eighteenth century while others argue that it was the mid-sixteenth century. One of the most affluent times during the Shang Dynasty was the Bronze Age. The metal became a symbol of royalty and making the metal became quite common as a job in everyday society. Bronze artifacts were even used in tombs of dead rulers. Priests from the Shang Dynasty would use a variety of deceased animals' skeletal remains in order to tell the future. Within the skeletal remains that have been able to be preserved, one may find writings that were once recorded by these ancient priests. Farming is what mostly helped to provide food for the people of the Shang dynasty. However, that does not mean they did not hunt. As for religious beliefs, the people of the Shang dynasty believed in folk religion and ancestor worship. The folk religion in which they believed in was very polytheistic. The Shang dynasty is not only important because of the historical evidence it has left behind but due to the fact that it helped influence many dynasties to come.

Sources: http://www.ushistory.org/civ/9b.asp