Culture
The Shang were Rich and diverse in culture, which can be directly linked to their geography. Shang had many fertile lands due to the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, thus they relied heavily on agriculture. This led to the worship of nature, spirits, celestial objects and ancestors to ask for or to predict the upcoming harvest. This worship led to elaborate rituals which some archaeologist speculate took up as much as ten hours of many Shang residents everyday. These rituals often included animal bones as oracles(which led to China's first writing system), and used many bronze masks, vases, and other bronze pieces for these rituals. Advanced bronze casting techniques were responsible for much of the Shang culture. The Shang were frequently making war and invading other city-states. they were able to enjoy victory after victory largely due to their advanced bronze weaponry. A testimony to how greatly the Shang were addicted to war would be that even a women(who were considered subservient to men) could lead an army if she had the talent. Archaeologist have also discovered a wide range of bronze musical instruments such as ocarinas, drums and symbols from the Shang Dynasty. Archaeologist have also discovered that towards the later Shang emperors the upper class became addicted to alcohol, which with their addiction to war, helped directly lead to the Shang Dynasty's decline.(www.travelchinahistoryguide.com/intro//shang/) (www.ushistory.org/civ/9b.asp) ("Lost City of Shang")