High Level Overview of Chinese History: Zhou Dynasty II
By Philg88 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12118321
While the Zhou were very culturally similar to the Shang, including speaking a 'language largely similar in vocabulary and syntax to that of the Shang', though they apparently had familial ties to the Xirang, who were 'one of the Four Barbarians that frequently interacted with the sinitic Huaxia civilization', or the 'historical concept of the Chinese nation' among those who spoke one of the Chinese languages. This is reflected in their origin myth as Jian Yuan was Xirong. According to a modern historian, 'the term "rong" during the western Zhou period was likely used to designate political and miligary adversaries rather than cultural and ethnic "others". Cultural artifacts of the Western Rong coexisted with Western Zhou bronzes, indicating close bonds between the Rong and the Western Zhou'.
By 幽灵巴尼, 2014-03-08 15:03:24, Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31500010
The Western Zhou period extends from 1045-771 BCE, from the overthrow of the Shang and King Wu taking the throne and it ends with mercenaries from Quanrong peoples to the northwestern part of China who were hired by the Marquis of Shen sacking the capital. During this time, we are able to know a lot from what was written by those who lived through it. Thousands of inscriptions were produced, many of these on bronze ritual vessels that recorded events or honors bestowed on the elite court members. These inscriptions started short but gradually became longer and can be compared with later histories. The characters were narrow, likely indicating that most writing was done on bamboo slats, and vertically oriented from top to bottom. The characters themselves could be rotated or flipped 'generally with no change in meaning'. While the characters have evolved since the oracle bone script and that used by the Shang, they are still a long way from the modern forms that are in use now. A few pieces of pottery have survived showing that the writing on them was done was done with a brush, which historians think was the most common way of writing at the time.
By Unknown author - Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11646136
During the Western Zhou, two major classics, the Book of Odes and the Book of Documents, were likely composed. The book of Odes consists of a collection of songs that are traditionally grouped into State Airs (160), Major and Minor Court Songs (105), and Hymns (40), though the melodies have been lost to time. The Airs were collected throughout the domain of the Western Zhou, but likely were polished in the court. The Book of Documents is 'a collection of formal speeches presented as spanning two millennia from the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the Spring and Autumn period', which happens later in the Zhou dynasty. The first histories were likely written during this time, transmitted through copying past the end of the Western Zhou.
The generally agreed upon list of kings of the Western Zhou contains 14 kings, which was written down by the Han historian Sima Qian, who lived from about 145-85 BCE. This record has been supported by the various bronze inscriptions, especially one known as the Lai or Qiu pan. From the archaeological record, it's possible to see the conquest because of the sudden appearance of 'burials in the Shang style and sophisticated bronze vessels of all types produced by the Shang, from whom the Zhou had evidently acquired skilled craftsmen, scribes and abundant resources' in their home territory in the Wei River basin. While the Zhou adopted many Shang customs to legitimatize their rule, one they did not was that of human sacrifice 'which was so extensive in the Late Shang', nor was it mentioned in their texts.
Not long after the overthrow of the Shang under King Wu, Wu Geng, the nominal ruler of the remaining Shang royal house, rose up in rebellion against the Zhou. This was put down by King Cheng, King Wu's son, and the Dukes of Zhou and Shao, who were King Wu's brother and half brother respectively. This victory allowed them to consolidate their power over the territory. They then embarked on a period of expansion that would be continued by King Kang. After them, under King Mu, 'the Zhou state shifted to the defensive, particularly in the east'. As time passed, 'the family relationships between the king and the rulers of teh colonies had also become more distant', so the Zhou state turned to bureaucracy and 'formalized relationships between the elites. There were reforms of the military, official titles and the distribution of land'.
