﻿FAR 
  EASTERN 
  CIVILIZATIONS 
  — 
  BISHOP 
  483 
  

  

  Shang 
  Ti 
  was 
  entreated 
  both 
  for 
  abundant 
  harvests 
  and 
  for 
  success 
  

   in 
  war. 
  He 
  was 
  believed 
  to 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  sky, 
  perhaps 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Star, 
  

   and 
  so 
  was 
  in 
  this 
  sense 
  a 
  sky 
  god 
  ; 
  although 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  evidence 
  that 
  

   the 
  Shangs 
  worshiped 
  the 
  sky 
  itself. 
  

  

  The 
  Shangs 
  also 
  revered 
  many 
  other 
  divinities, 
  often 
  female. 
  

   Among 
  them, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  inscriptions, 
  were 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Mother, 
  

   the 
  Western 
  Mother, 
  the 
  Dragon 
  Woman, 
  gods 
  of 
  the 
  Winds, 
  of 
  

   Rivers, 
  of 
  Earth, 
  and 
  one 
  called 
  the 
  Ruler 
  of 
  the 
  (Four?) 
  Quarters. 
  

   This 
  frequency 
  of 
  female 
  divinities 
  is 
  in 
  marked 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  later 
  

   Chinese 
  Bronze 
  Age, 
  and 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  aboriginal 
  influence. 
  

   For 
  goddesses 
  play 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  primitive 
  beliefs 
  of 
  eastern 
  

   Asia, 
  the 
  Japanese 
  Sun 
  Goddess 
  being 
  probably 
  the 
  best-known 
  ex- 
  

   ample. 
  

  

  Of 
  ancestor 
  worship 
  among 
  the 
  Shangs, 
  the 
  only 
  direct 
  evidence 
  

   applies 
  to 
  the 
  royal 
  line 
  alone; 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  ruling 
  

   class 
  in 
  general 
  practiced 
  it 
  throughout 
  the 
  original 
  Chinese 
  culture 
  

   area. 
  

  

  The 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  spirits 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  depended, 
  it 
  was 
  held, 
  on 
  

   the 
  sacrifices 
  offered 
  to 
  them 
  by 
  their 
  living 
  descendants. 
  It 
  was 
  

   regarded 
  as 
  highly 
  dangerous, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  withhold 
  them 
  and 
  thus 
  

   rouse 
  the 
  ancestral 
  spirits 
  to 
  anger. 
  The 
  sacrifices 
  consisted 
  of 
  both 
  

   human 
  and 
  animal 
  victims 
  (Creel, 
  1936, 
  pp. 
  206-216). 
  The 
  former 
  

   were 
  often 
  "barbarian" 
  (i. 
  e., 
  non-Chinese) 
  captives 
  of 
  war, 
  taken 
  

   most 
  frequently 
  from 
  the 
  Chiangs, 
  a 
  people 
  to 
  the 
  northwest. 
  The 
  

   Shangs 
  appear 
  in 
  fact 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  raiding 
  the 
  

   Chiangs 
  for 
  supplies 
  of 
  human 
  victims 
  in 
  a 
  way 
  that 
  recalls 
  similar 
  

   practices 
  among 
  the 
  Aztecs 
  of 
  ancient 
  Mexico. 
  

  

  Lastly, 
  we 
  may 
  note, 
  the 
  Shangs 
  had 
  a 
  "week" 
  of 
  10 
  days, 
  used 
  in 
  

   connection 
  with 
  their 
  religious 
  observances. 
  

  

  Disposal 
  of 
  the 
  dead. 
  — 
  During 
  Shang 
  times, 
  important 
  people 
  were 
  

   buried 
  in 
  great 
  rectangular 
  or 
  cruciform 
  pits, 
  together 
  with 
  much 
  

   wealth 
  and 
  many 
  human 
  victims. 
  Mounds 
  were 
  not, 
  however, 
  erected 
  

   over 
  such 
  tombs 
  as 
  yet. 
  

  

  Fall 
  of 
  the 
  Shangs. 
  — 
  A 
  later 
  tradition 
  asserts 
  that 
  the 
  Shang 
  

   Dynasty 
  came 
  to 
  an 
  end 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  protracted 
  drought 
  for 
  

   which 
  the 
  reigning 
  king 
  was 
  held 
  responsible 
  through 
  his 
  neglect 
  to 
  

   observe 
  the 
  proper 
  rites. 
  And 
  quite 
  apart 
  from 
  such 
  superstitious 
  

   ways 
  of 
  thinking, 
  such 
  a 
  long 
  interval 
  of 
  dryness 
  must 
  necessarily 
  

   have 
  led 
  to 
  much 
  suffering, 
  unrest, 
  and 
  discontent. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  

   some 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  king 
  himself 
  added 
  to 
  this 
  feeling 
  by 
  a 
  de- 
  

   termined 
  effort 
  to 
  assert 
  his 
  power 
  over 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  rebellious 
  rulers 
  

   of 
  the 
  subject 
  city-states 
  that 
  composed 
  the 
  Shang 
  "empire." 
  And, 
  

   worse 
  still, 
  in 
  this 
  attempt 
  the 
  king 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  enlisted 
  the 
  

   aid 
  of 
  certain 
  aboriginal 
  tribes. 
  

  

  