This is a ji - a type of spear. The blade is made from jade. This tells us that it was used in ceremonies but not in battle where stronger bronze weapons would be used. It would have had a long handle made from wood. It is part of the V&A's collection in London.

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This is an axe made from bronze. It would have had a wooden handle and been used by the Shang warriors to fight enemies. It is now in the British Museum in London.

Narrator: The Shang dynasty lasted for over five centuries but came to an end when the last king, Di Xin, was defeated in a battle and a new dynasty was formed.

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The last Shang capital was at Yin (near modern-day Anyang) and thousands of bronze, jade, stone, bone and ceramic artefacts have been uncovered.

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The legend in the Annals of the Yin tells that the second wife of Emperor Ku, Jiandi, swallowed an egg dropped by a blackbird. She gave birth miraculously to Xie.

The earliest known Chinese writing was also found there, tens of thousands of inscriptions on oracle bones, telling us a lot about life, politics and religion under the Shang dynasty.

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Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Narrator: During the Shang period, bronze was the most important metal, weapons, armour and tools were all made from bronze.

This sculpture is made of a stone called jade. Jade was used to make lots of things including jewellery and ornaments - like this bird. It can now be found in the British Museum.

This is a ding made from bronze. It was used for ceremonies and to cook food. A fire would be lit between the three legs and the food was heated in the bowl. It is now kept in the British Museum.