Shang Dynasty
/ʃɑːŋ ˈdaɪ.nə.sti/noun
The ancient Chinese dynasty traditionally dated from about 1600 to 1046 BCE, also called the Yin dynasty.
Did you know?Shang diviners heated ox scapulae and turtle plastrons until they cracked, creating the earliest substantial examples of Chinese writing known as oracle-bone script.
Etymological Timeline
Late 2nd millennium BCE
Old Chinese
商 (Shāng)
“The name of the Shang polity; its deeper original meaning is uncertain, and it may derive from a place or ancestral name.”
Late 2nd millennium BCE
Old Chinese
殷 (Yīn)
“Another historical name for the dynasty, especially associated with its later capital and final period.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
δυνάστης (dynástēs)
“A ruler or powerful lord.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
δυναστεία (dynasteía)
“Rule by a powerful person; a ruling dynasty.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
dynastia
“A line or succession of rulers.”
16th Century
English
dynasty
“A succession of rulers from the same family or line.”
Modern English
English
Shang Dynasty
“The English name for the Bronze Age Chinese dynasty traditionally dated c. 1600–1046 BCE.”