The Research On Ritual Activities In The House-making Process In Central Plain Of Shang Dynasty

The research on ritual activities of Shang Dynasty has always been a heated topic in academia. It can not only reflect social characteristics from various aspects, but also be conducive to the exploration of ancestors’ideology. In contrast to other ritual activities of Shang Dynasty, little research has been done on the ritual activities in the house-making process, leaving a multitude of unresolved problems for us. This thesis makes a thorough analysis of archaeological discoveries excavated in Central Plain. To start with, it makes a classification of remains through a combination of the major procedures in construction. It then makes a systematic discussion on the nature, methods and motivations of this kind of ritual activities with inscriptions on oracle bones and historical documents. In the end, this thesis takes relevant archaeological discoveries of prehistory and Zhou Dynasty into consideration, exploring its institutionalizing process, with the attempt to reveal the profound social problems reflected by it.There are five parts in this thesis.The first part is an introduction, which gives a review of this study, introduces the methodology applied, and briefly defines several key words.The second part is mainly about archaeological discoveries in Central Plain of Shang Dynasty, comprising a brief introduction of remains. It then classifies different remains into three categories according to its construction procedures and summarizes the main features of each type.The third part is a special study on it. It discusses the nature of different categories, the sacrifices, and the reasons for holding ritual activities.The forth part talks about its social properties. It divides relevant constructions into three grades, and discusses the social stratification reflected by it. Then with the archaeological discoveries of prehistory and Zhou Dynasty, it probes into the institutionalizing process.The fifth part is a conclusion, which summarizes the main arguments and points out the demerits of this thesis.