WORLD HISTORY (9/25)

• Do Now: What do the following all have in common? List as many shared features as possible.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?

• Dynasty• Our examples=a

succession of people from the same family who play a prominent role in business, politics, or another field• Historical

definition=A line of hereditary rulers of a country

ONCE AGAIN, A BRIEF MOMENT OF GEOGRAPHY

• What do you notice about the geography of ancient China?• Two minutes and

discuss with a partner

• Rivers• The Yellow • The Yangtze

• Mountains and deserts• Key word=Isolation

• Nomadic invaders threaten the peace

THE SHANG DYNASTY (1650-1122 BCE)

• Clans-Family groups who controlled most of land• Stayed loyal to the Shang

• Warriors important• Land owning nobles

• Merchants• Provide outside goods• Not as respected-their

money comes from others work

• Most people?• Peasants• Work the land for the

nobles

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

• Veneration of ancestors• Gods would not listen to

mortals• High class ancestors could

speak to them• Eventually other classes as

well• Through oracle bones-

bones used to predict the future• Oldest examples of Chinese

writing

• Yin and Yang• What is this symbol all

about?• Two minutes with a partner

YIN AND YANG: HOW MIGHT THIS HAVE INFLUENCED CHINESE CIVILIZATION?

THE DYNASTIC CYCLE

• Explains how ruling families gained/lost power• Mandate of Heaven• The gods gave ruling family the right to rule• Divine right• When previous king/dynasty misused/abused power or

became ineffective leaders, they had lost this mandate (approval)

• This gain and loss of the mandate is known as the dynastic cycle

CAN YOU GAIN THE MANDATE OF HEAVEN?

• To better understand how Chinese civilization functioned, we will play a game I like to call Dynasty (patent pending)

• Objective:• Gain the Mandate of Heaven and

provide good government to your subjects

• How to play:• Find the other people with your

shared number• Follow along with the instructions

on the screen• Keep track of the action and

results on your game boards• Each player will keep track of this

information

LET’S PLAY…

• Have each player in your group roll the dice

• The following roles will be assigned (highest roll to lowest roll)

• High roll=King• 2nd and 3rd highest=Lords

(given lands by the King)• 4th and 5th highest

rolls=peasants (work the land given to the lords)

• Remember the concept of yin and yang• All players should strive for

harmony and balance throughout the game

MARK IT DOWN

• Lords-petition your king • Which territory do you want and

why (grow crops or raise herds of animals?)

• What can you offer your king in return (amount of tribute paid to king)?

• On your game boards, mark the boundaries of the lord’s territory

• Response (complete sentences for all responses)• Lords-Why did you want this

territory?• Peasants-For which lord do you

want to work ? Why?• King-Why did you grant the lords

the land you did?

ROUNDS ONE AND TWO: ROLL THE DICE

• King-Which of these projects would you like to address?• Peasants wish to have own land• Defensive walls need to be erected/repaired• Canals, irrigation systems, and roads need to be built

• Any changes made should be reflected on game boards• Example: boundaries of new territory

• Roll the dice:• 5 or 6-project addressed throughout all territory• 3 or 4-project addressed in half of territory (king may choose)• 1 or 2-project not addressed

• Reaction: Are you pleased with the performance of your king?• If yes, explain why and continue to round two• If no, explain why and decide if you want to test the mandate of heaven

• Dice roll- 5/6: king has lost the mandate of heaven• Both lords now roll to see who will become next king (highest roll wins)• Peasants-you may roll to see if you can become a lord (territory to be assigned by new king); must roll

higher than the lords roll to move up to their vacated position• Old king-any territory/role will be assigned by new king (you may lobby them for land or other

considerations)

• Dice roll-3/4: uncertainty with mandate; need to build consensus with other lords/peasants and roll again

• Dice roll-1/2: king keeps the mandate of heaven

ROUNDS THREE AND FOUR: PROBLEMS

• King: How will you handle these problems?• 6=flood• 5=earthquake• 4=famine• 3=peasant revolt• 2=invasion• 1=invasion

• Problems should be reflected on game boards• Show where flood, earthquake, famine, etc. occurred (choose own symbols for these)

• Response: • King: What do you plan to do to solve this issue? How can you prove you still have the

mandate of heaven?• Lords/peasants: How are you affected by the problem? Do you want to challenge the

mandate (same process as rounds one and two-see below)?• Dice roll- 5/6: king has lost the mandate of heaven

• Both lords now roll to see who will become next king (highest roll wins)• Peasants-you may roll to see if you can become a lord (territory to be assigned by new king); must

roll higher than the lords roll to move up to their vacated position• Old king-any territory/role will be assigned by new king (you may lobby them for land or other

considerations)

• Dice roll-3/4: uncertainty with mandate; need to build consensus with other lords/peasants and roll again

• Dice roll-1/2: king keeps the mandate of heaven

GAME OVER

• After the game, complete the following response questions (complete sentences):

Was your king able to keep the mandate of heaven? For how long? How did this affect the country?

What factors (hint: connect to SPRITE here) caused your king(s) to lose the mandate of heaven?

Could these factors be controlled by the king? Why or why not?

What was life like for you in this game? How were you affected by the factors around you?

How was ancient China affected by the dynastic cycle and the mandate of heaven? Again, connect to SPRITE in your answer (Hint: focus on S, P, R, and E)?