I. Yellow River Valley

A. Resource Instability

B. Loess soil

C. Sparsely forested

II. Early Neolithic Communities

A. Yangshao or “Painted Pottery Culture” (5000 - 3000 BCE)

B. Lung Shan Culture or “Black Pottery Culture” (3500 - 2000 BCE)

C. Hsia Dynasty (??? - ???)

III. Bronze Age Dynasty: Shang Dynasty (approx. 1700 BC - 1100 BC)

A. Major Archeological Site: City of Yin (modern day An’yang)

B. Characteristics

1. Economic Mode

2. Social Structure

3. Political Structure

4. Religious System

a. pantheistic polytheism

b. ancestor worship

C. Significance of Monumental Tomb Culture

1. The Implications of Conspicuous Consumption

2. The “Necessity” of Tributary Politics

D. Significance of Tributary politics

1. Cultural Assimilation and Transmission

2. Regional Destabilization

E. The Impact of Shang Political and Economic Structures

1. Shang Slave Revolt (1050 BCE)

2. The State of Chou

IV. The Significance of Iron Technology

A. The Implications of High-Temperature Metallurgical Technology

B. The Implications of Iron Technology on Agriculture

C. The Implications Iron Technology on Political Structure

D. The Implication of Iron Technology on Warfare

V. The Impact of Iron in the Yellow River Valley

A. The Chou Dynasty (1027? – 771 BCE) (pronunc.: “Joe”)

B. Iron Technology under the Chou

1. Impact on Agriculture

2. Impact on Tributary Aggression

C. Result: The Birth of Feudalism

1. Feudalism Defined

a. king = central political leader

b. aristocracy = land-holders

i. aristocracy = king’s “vassals”

ii. economic independence

c. commoners = surplus producers

VI. The Limitations of Feudalism

A. The King vs. the Aristocracy?

B. Who Controls the Frontier?

C. The Chou Case:

1. Wei sacked (771 BCE)

2. Eastern Chou Dynasty: 771 – 256 (Capital at Loyang)

VII. Warring States Period (403 – 221 BCE)