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...
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| Format: | Final Year Project (FYP) |
| Language: | English |
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Nanyang Technological University
2023
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165381 |
| 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. |
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