Yellow River Valley, East Asia · Bronze Age
Shang Dynasty
China's first dynasty with direct written evidence
1,600 BCE – 1,046 BCE · 554 years
The earliest Chinese dynasty confirmed by contemporary written and archaeological evidence, known for oracle bone script.
Where it sits on the calendar
Government
Divine kingship
Writing system
Oracle bone script
Estimated peak population
5,000,000
How it ended
Invasion or conquest
Traits
Monumental architecture Bronze metallurgy Irrigation agriculture Standing army Astronomical record-keeping Urban planning Iron metallurgy Long-distance trade Codified law Seafaring
How Shang Dynasty ended
Overthrown by the Zhou at the Battle of Muye, per traditional and archaeological accounts.
See other civilizations that fell the same way →Notable for
- Oracle bone divination script, ancestor of Chinese writing
- Ritual bronze vessel casting
- Earliest verified Chinese royal dynasty
Who else was alive at the same time
8 other civilizations in this dataset overlap with Shang Dynasty's 554-year span.
See every overlap involving Shang Dynasty →