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Shang Dynasty: Cast Bronze and Crack Oracle Bones

Shang Dynasty: Cast Bronze and Crack Oracle Bones

Learn about the Shang Dynasty and the first civilisations, then cast a bronze ding, crack an oracle bone and dig up the tomb of Fu Hao.

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What you'll learn

  • Where Sumer, Egypt, the Indus Valley and the Shang grew up
  • Why the first civilisations grew up beside great rivers
  • How to order civilisations on a timeline using BC dates
  • How the Shang made bronze, an alloy of copper and tin
  • How oracle bones were used to ask the ancestors questions
  • How daily life differed for kings, farmers and slaves in Shang China

Chapter by chapter

  1. Where the first civilisations appeared: life by great rivers Free to try

    Years 3–6 history · 1

  2. When the first civilisations appeared: a BC timeline to the Shang

    Years 3–6 history · 1

  3. Shang bronze: how it was made and used

    Years 3–6 history · 1

  4. Oracle bones: how the Shang asked their ancestors

    Years 3–6 history · 1

  5. Daily life in the Shang Dynasty: kings, farmers and Fu Hao

    Years 3–6 history · 1

  6. Shang Dynasty challenge (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Years 3–6 history: The achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China

About this adventure

The Shang Dynasty game is an interactive history game that teaches children aged 7–11 where and when the first civilisations appeared and what the Shang Dynasty of Ancient China achieved. It follows the KS2 History curriculum and is pitched at Year 4.

Children match Ancient Sumer, Ancient Egypt, the Indus Valley and the Shang to their rivers on a map, then order them on a BC timeline. In the Shang chapters they mix copper and tin to make bronze, an alloy, and cast it in a clay mould. They heat an oracle bone until it cracks, just as kings asked their ancestors about the future, and read early Chinese pictographs.

A narrator reads every step aloud. Quick checks tackle common mix-ups, such as thinking a bigger BC number is more recent, and a 10-question challenge rounds everything off.

Questions and answers

What was the Shang Dynasty?

The Shang Dynasty was a family of kings who ruled northern China beside the Yellow River from about 1600 BC to 1046 BC. It is famous for its bronze work, its oracle bones and the oldest Chinese writing ever found.

What were oracle bones used for?

Oracle bones were turtle shells and ox shoulder bones that Shang kings used to ask their ancestors about the future. The bone was heated until it cracked, the king read the cracks, and the question and answer were carved onto it.

Where and when did the first civilisations appear?

The first civilisations appeared beside great rivers in Africa and Asia. Ancient Sumer grew up by the Tigris and Euphrates from about 3500 BC, followed by Ancient Egypt by the Nile, the Indus Valley by the Indus, and the Shang by the Yellow River from about 1600 BC.

What age is this Shang Dynasty game for?

The game is designed for children aged 7 to 11 and is pitched mainly at Year 4, where the Shang Dynasty is usually taught in KS2 History. Older children can use it for revision before a test or topic review.

What does the Shang Dynasty game include and how long does it take?

It includes five guided chapters with quick checks, plus a 10-question challenge at the end. Playing everything takes about 45 minutes, and children can start from any chapter on the explorer's map.

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