Shang ancestral worship
E718712
Shang ancestral worship was the central religious practice of the Shang dynasty, involving elaborate rituals, divination, and offerings to royal ancestors believed to influence earthly affairs.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Shang dynasty royal ideology | 1 |
| Shang religion | 1 |
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ancestor veneration
ⓘ
religious practice ⓘ |
| archaeologicalEvidence |
Anyang royal tombs
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
bronze ritual vessels with inscriptions ⓘ oracle bone pits ⓘ sacrificial remains ⓘ |
| associatedConcept | Mandate-like ancestral approval of kingship ⓘ |
| associatedDeity | Shangdi NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centralTo | Shang religion NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| coreBelief |
ancestors mediate between humans and high deity
ⓘ
royal ancestors influence earthly affairs ⓘ |
| cosmologicalRole |
linked human realm with spirit world
ⓘ
structured communication with ancestors through divination ⓘ |
| divinationMaterial |
ox scapulae
ⓘ
turtle plastrons ⓘ |
| focus |
agricultural success
ⓘ
health and childbirth ⓘ lineage continuity ⓘ military victory ⓘ royal ancestors ⓘ weather and natural phenomena ⓘ |
| influenced |
Zhou ancestral rites
ⓘ
later Chinese ancestral cults ⓘ |
| inscriptionLanguage | early Chinese script ⓘ |
| inscriptionMedium | oracle bone inscriptions ⓘ |
| location |
ritual precincts at the capital
ⓘ
royal ancestral temple ⓘ |
| performedBy |
Shang king
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
royal lineage ⓘ |
| practicedDuring | Shang dynasty NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryOffering |
animals
ⓘ
food ⓘ humans ⓘ wine ⓘ |
| requires |
careful ritual calendars
ⓘ
ritual specialists ⓘ |
| ritualAction |
animal sacrifice
ⓘ
burning of inscriptions on bones and shells ⓘ divination ⓘ human sacrifice ⓘ libation offerings ⓘ presentation of food and drink ⓘ sacrifice ⓘ |
| ritualMedium |
bronze ritual vessels
ⓘ
oracle bone divination ⓘ sacrificial altars ⓘ |
| socialFunction |
integration of political and religious power
ⓘ
legitimization of royal authority ⓘ reinforcement of lineage hierarchy ⓘ |
| temporalContext | late second millennium BCE ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Shang dynasty royal ideology
subject surface form:
Wu Ding
this entity surface form:
Shang religion