TRADE DURING THE SHANG DYNASTY
The Shang Dynasty ruled (with much variance in these dates) from about 1600 BC to 1000 BC. The Shang Dynasty, which was also the first great dynasty of China, had the oldest known written language upon oracle shells. During this time period, bronze goods were forged and items such as musical instruments and hairpins were developed. Shells were used as forms of currency; these objects were durable, portable, and easy to count. The word for these cluster of shells, “peng,” has come to mean “friend” in the Chinese language. Each “peng” is believed to have been made up of two groups of 10 shells each. This system became widely used and people all over China adopted this currency.
However, people in the northern part of China began having difficulty finding these shells and began to use substitutes such as jade, copper, bronze, and other stones to make shell-shaped money by the end of the Shang Dynasty. Both forms of currency set a precedent for all other ancient empires of the world. |
Next, let's travel forward a few hundred years to learn about the Han Dynasty, a time period which still influences China today.
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