Human sacrifice in the Shang Dynasty—overcoming presentism to identify the socio-cultural milieu which contributed to the Shang conception of human sacrifice

This essay sets out to overcome the Socio-cultural Milieu of the Shang Dynasty, to challenge the widely held belief that human sacrifice was a widespread practice in the Shang Dynasty, arguing instead that it was reserved only for the kings of the state. By examining divination records, archaeologic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chua, Japhne Jia Ying
Other Authors: Ivy Yeh
Format: Final Year Project
Language:English
Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165381
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:This essay sets out to overcome the Socio-cultural Milieu of the Shang Dynasty, to challenge the widely held belief that human sacrifice was a widespread practice in the Shang Dynasty, arguing instead that it was reserved only for the kings of the state. By examining divination records, archaeological findings, anthropological analysis, and the locations of sacrificial pits, this paper posits that human sacrifices were exclusive to the Shang kings and not a common ritual practice during the Shang Dynasty as previously believed.