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Year 3 - History

The discovery of Fu Hao's tomb

The Shang: What have archaeologists found out about them?

Unit Summary

These units analyse the way in which archaeologists have found out about the Indus Valley Civilisation and the Shang dynasty. Whichever unit is chosen, pupils examine the archaeological record of an early civilisation and develop their knowledge of what claims are based on these remains.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to describe what was found in Fu Hao's tomb.

Key Notes

  • In 1976 the archaeologist Zheng Zhenxiang made an amazing discovery at a dig in eastern China.
  • She uncovered a royal tomb, filled with jade, bone and bronze artefacts.
  • The tomb also contained the bodies of six dogs and sixteen enslaved people.
  • Zhenxiang and her team identified the tomb as belonging to Fu Hao, a queen and general of the Shang Dynasty.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • China: modern day China is a large country in East Asia
  • Shang Dynasty: the Shang Dynasty was a series of Bronze Age rulers coming from the same family
  • tomb: a tomb is a place specially built to bury people who have died
  • general: a general is someone who leads an army
  • jade: jade is a very hard stone which is used for making jewellery and other objects

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Ancient generals were only men.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

In 1976 the archaeologist Zheng Zhenxiang made an amazing discovery at a dig in eastern China. She uncovered a royal tomb, filled with jade, bone and bronze artefacts.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'China'

modern day China is a large country in East Asia.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: Ancient generals were only men. Correction: The story of Fu Hao as one of the best Shang Dynasty generals at this time disproves this. There are records of around 600 women in the army at this time too.

More Lessons In This Unit

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