How do scholars divide the history of the Shang dynasty?

Scholars organize the history of the Shang dynasty into distinct periods primarily based on the changing locations of the dynasty's capital. Rule spanned over five hundred years in the Yellow River valley before the capital eventually settled at Yinxu near modern Anyang. This traditional dynastic framework is supplemented by modern archaeological periods like the Erligang culture.

What we know

• Scholars divide the Shang dynasty into periods for convenience, usually relating to the location of the dynasty's capital. [2]
• The Shang dynasty ruled in the Yellow River valley for over 500 years, traditionally dated from ca. 1600 to 1046 BC. [2]
• The Shang moved their capital several times before finally settling in Yin, which was later known as Yinxu near Anyang. [2, 3]
• The Shang dynasty was eventually conquered by the Predynastic Zhou following the Battle of Muye around 1046 BC. [2]

Where to go next

• how it workedWhat was the Erligang culture?
• how we knowWhat was found at Yinxu?
• what caused itHow did the Zhou dynasty overthrow the Shang?
• whenWhat came before the Shang dynasty?
• the bigger pictureWhat texts provide the classic account of the Shang?
• an unexpected connectionHow do turtle shells and ox bones document early Chinese history?Excavations at the final Shang capital of Yin uncovered tens of thousands of oracle bones containing the earliest known examples of Chinese writing.

Sources

• [1]periodization of the Shang dynasty (Wikidata Q127326998) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Periodization of the Shang dynasty · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Shang dynasty · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Xia dynasty · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Predynastic Shang · CC BY-SA 4.0