Wu Ding: Difference between revisions
→Dating: We already have his father in the next paragraph, and we're not using traditional dates for Shang kings except as specifically attributed in their individual articles. There's a bad habit (started by modernist Chinese historians) of referring to early royals as 姓 (lineage group) + 名 (taboo personal name), which is completely unattested in history and promotes misunderstanding of the uses of early surnames, but which has become popular on Wikipedia due to inexperience in the topic... Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit |
→Dating: clarify Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit |
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Because Wu Ding is the earliest Chinese ruler whose reign is confirmed by contemporary material, dating his reign is a matter of significant historical interest. |
Because Wu Ding is the earliest Chinese ruler whose reign is confirmed by contemporary material, dating his reign is a matter of significant historical interest. |
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According to the traditional chronology, he reigned from 1324–1266 BC.<ref name="MarshallMarshall2015">{{cite book|author1=S J Marshall|title=The Mandate of Heaven: Hidden History in the Book of Changes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_0kCwAAQBAJ|date=14 December 2015|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-84928-5|page=145}}</ref> ''Cambridge History'' gives 1189 BC as the end date of his reign.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Keightley | first= David N. | chapter=The Shang: China's First Historical Dynasty | title= Cambridge History of Ancient China | title-link= Cambridge History of Ancient China | date= 1999 | page= 240, Table 4.1 | editor1= Michael Loewe | editor1-link = Michael Loewe | editor2= Edward Shaughnessy | editor2-link = Edward Shaughnessy}}</ref> The [[Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project]] (2000), sponsored by the Chinese government, gives his reign as 1250–1192 BC.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thorp|first=Robert L.|title=China in the Early Bronze Age: Shang Civilization|year=2006|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=0812239105}}</ref> |
According to the traditional chronology, he reigned from 1324–1266 BC.<ref name="MarshallMarshall2015">{{cite book|author1=S J Marshall|title=The Mandate of Heaven: Hidden History in the Book of Changes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_0kCwAAQBAJ|date=14 December 2015|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-84928-5|page=145}}</ref> This has been shown to be an artifact of incorrect backdating due to misunderstanding of [[King Wen of Zhou]]'s [[Mandate of Heaven|Mandate calendar]].<ref>Nivison{{full citation needed|date=October 2023 |reason= i hope to address this by lunchtime}}</ref> ''Cambridge History'' gives 1189 BC as the end date of his reign.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Keightley | first= David N. | chapter=The Shang: China's First Historical Dynasty | title= Cambridge History of Ancient China | title-link= Cambridge History of Ancient China | date= 1999 | page= 240, Table 4.1 | editor1= Michael Loewe | editor1-link = Michael Loewe | editor2= Edward Shaughnessy | editor2-link = Edward Shaughnessy}}</ref> The [[Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project]] draft release (2000), sponsored by the Chinese government and disbanded without producing a final report, gives his reign as 1250–1192 BC.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thorp|first=Robert L.|title=China in the Early Bronze Age: Shang Civilization|year=2006|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=0812239105}}</ref> |
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Inscriptions from twenty-six oracle bone divinations of his reign have been radiocarbon dated to 1254–1197 BC±10 years.<ref name=radiocarbon>{{cite journal |
Inscriptions from twenty-six oracle bone divinations of his reign have been radiocarbon dated to 1254–1197 BC±10 years.<ref name=radiocarbon>{{cite journal |
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|pages=155–175 |
|pages=155–175 |
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Revision as of 12:33, 24 October 2023
| Wu Ding 武丁 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portrait of King Wu Ding of Shang from Sancai Tuhui | |||||||||||||
| King of Shang dynasty | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 1250 – 1192 BC or 1254 – 1197 BC | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Xiao Yi | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Zu Geng | ||||||||||||
| Died | 1192 BC or 1189 BC or 1197 BC | ||||||||||||
| Spouse | Fu Jing Fu Hao Fu Gui | ||||||||||||
| Issue | Zu Ji Zu Geng Zu Jia Xiao Chen Tao | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Father | Xiao Yi | ||||||||||||
Wu Ding (Chinese: 武丁; pinyin: Wǔ Dīng); personal name Zi Zhao, was a king of the Shang dynasty who ruled China around the second half of the 1200s BC. He is the earliest figure in Chinese history mentioned in contemporary records. The annals of the Shang dynasty compiled by later historians were once thought to be little more than legends until oracle script inscriptions on bones dating from his reign were unearthed at the ruins of his capital Yin (near modern Anyang) in 1899.[1] Oracle bone inscriptions from his reign have been radiocarbon dated to 1254–1197 BC.[2]
Dating
Because Wu Ding is the earliest Chinese ruler whose reign is confirmed by contemporary material, dating his reign is a matter of significant historical interest.
According to the traditional chronology, he reigned from 1324–1266 BC.[3] This has been shown to be an artifact of incorrect backdating due to misunderstanding of King Wen of Zhou's Mandate calendar.[4] Cambridge History gives 1189 BC as the end date of his reign.[5] The Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project draft release (2000), sponsored by the Chinese government and disbanded without producing a final report, gives his reign as 1250–1192 BC.[6] Inscriptions from twenty-six oracle bone divinations of his reign have been radiocarbon dated to 1254–1197 BC±10 years.[2]
Life and reign
According to later tradition, in the sixth year of his father's reign, Wu Ding was ordered to live at He (河) and study under Gan Pan (甘盤). These early years spent among the common people allowed him to become familiar with their daily problems.
In the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) he was listed by Sima Qian as the twenty-second Shang king, succeeding his father Xiao Yi (小乙). The oracle bone script inscriptions unearthed at Yinxu alternatively record that he was the twenty-first Shang king.[7][8] The Shiji says that he was enthroned in the dingwei (丁未) year with Gan Pan (甘盤) as his prime minister and Yin (殷) as his capital.
He cultivated the allegiance of neighbouring tribes by marrying one woman from each of them. Oracle bone inscriptions mention no fewer than sixty-four of his wives.[9]: 464 His favoured consort Fu Hao entered the royal household through such a marriage and served as military general and high priestess.[10]
According to the Bamboo Annals, in the twenty-fifth year of his reign, his son Zu Ji (祖己) died at a remote area after being exiled.
According to the Book of Documents, in the twenty-ninth year of his reign, he conducted rituals in honour of his ancestor Da Yi (大乙), the first king of the Shang dynasty, at the Royal Temple. Angered by the presence of a wild chicken standing on one of the ceremonial bronze vessels, he condemned his vassals and wrote a proclamation called "Day of the Supplementary Sacrifice of Gao Zong" (高宗肜日).[11][a] The Book of Documents passage in question is attributed to Zu Ji, reflecting a different tradition of vital dates for that individual.
According to the Bamboo Annals, the thirty-second year of his reign, he sent troops to Guifang (鬼方) and after three years of fighting he conquered it. The Di (氐) and Qiang (羌) immediately sent envoys to Shang to negotiate. His armies went on to conquer Dapeng (大彭) in the forty-third year of his reign, and Tunwei (豕韋) in the fiftieth year of his reign. Exactly how this is related to the campaigns in the oracle bone divinations is unclear, where the Gui Fang appears once, but the Gong Fang and Tu Fang campaigns have hundreds of divinations.
Significant events
Several major contributions of Ancient China came from Wu Ding's reign.
The earliest version of Chinese writing, oracle bone script (甲骨文) was radiocarbon-dated to c.1250 BC, the beginning of his reign. The content includes divination, mostly carved questions (by Wu Ding's diviners) on war, human sacrifice, and national economy.
During his reign, chariots also appeared in China. They were either invented independently or acquired through interactions with western nomadic tribes. However, their use was initially limited; they were mainly used for royal hunts and military commanders.
Reverence of women
At the time of Wu Ding's ascension to the throne, the Shang dynasty was a semi-matriarchal society. Women played a key role in the development of both the economyand military. His spouses participated in warfare, worshipping the Shang high god Di, along with managing the kingdom's agriculture.
Fu Hao, the queen consort, was recorded in oracle bones as a renowned military commander. She held campaigns against the western tribes Yi, Qiang, and Ba by organizing the earliest mass ambush in Chinease history.
At its peak, the forces of Fu Hao reached over 10,000 troops, headed by herself and subordinate generals. The force helped Shang dynasty conquer many opposing tribes and further expand their territory.
When Fu Hao died (c. 1200 BC), Wu Ding had a famous tomb built for her, the Tomb of Fu Hao, located at Yin. Inside the tomb lies numerous Shang vessels, mirrors, bronze artifacts , weapons, as well as 16 human sacrifices and 6 dogs. The size of the construction was that of a room, indicating the importance of the queen and showing Wu's favor towards her.[10]
Another of Wu Ding's wives, Fu Jing, was probably responsible for overseeing agricultural production, as this was the subject she divined about most frequently.[12]
Family
Father: Xiao Yi, 20th Shang king.
Wives:
•Fu Hao ( 婦好 ), died c. 1200 BC, posthumous temple name Mu Xin (母辛).
•Fu Jing ( 婦妌 ), known for overseeing millet farming.
Children:
•Zu Geng (祖庚), personal name Zi Yue, son by Fu Jing. 22nd Shang king (r.1191 BC-1184 BC).
•Zu Jia (祖甲), personal name Zi Zai. 23rd Shang king (r.1184 BC-1177 BC).
•Xiao Chen Tao( 小臣妥 ); (died c.1100 BC). Wu Ding's daughter, being granted personal fief and ministerial power at the court.
Grandchildren:
•Lin Xin (son of Zu Jia)
Death and succession
He died in the fifty-ninth year of his reign according to all the sources available, none of which are contemporary. That results in debates about his exact year of death. Opinions vary from 1197 BC to 1180 BC, with the commonly accepted year being 1192 BC.
Widely regarded in later tradition as one of the best kings of the Shang dynasty, he was given the posthumous name Wu Ding (武丁) in accordance with the sexagenary cycle and was succeeded by his son Zu Geng (祖庚).
After Wu Ding's death, power of the Shang dynasty started to decline. In c.1190 BC, the vassal Zhou began to strengthen itself and eventually ended the dynasty 150 years after.
References
- ^ Bai, Shouyi (2002). An Outline History of China. Beijing: Foreign Language Press. ISBN 7-119-02347-0.
- ^ a b Liu, Kexin; Wu, Xiaohong; Guo, Zhiyu; Yuan, Sixun; Ding, Xingfang; Fu, Dongpo; Pan, Yan (20 October 2020). "Radiocarbon Dating of Oracle Bones of the Late Shang Period in Ancient China". Radiocarbon. 63 (1). Cambridge University Press: 155–175. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14.
- ^ S J Marshall (14 December 2015). The Mandate of Heaven: Hidden History in the Book of Changes. Taylor & Francis. p. 145. ISBN 978-1-317-84928-5.
- ^ Nivison[full citation needed]
- ^ Keightley, David N. (1999). "The Shang: China's First Historical Dynasty". In Michael Loewe; Edward Shaughnessy (eds.). Cambridge History of Ancient China. p. 240, Table 4.1.
- ^ Thorp, Robert L. (2006). China in the Early Bronze Age: Shang Civilization. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812239105.
- ^ Theobald, Ulrich (2018). "The Shang Dynasty Rulers". China Knowledge. Archived from the original on 4 June 2004. Retrieved 7 August 2007.
- ^ Eno, R (2006). "Shang Kingship And Shang Kinship" (PDF). Indiana University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2007.
- ^ Allan, Sarah (2007). "Erlitou and the Formation of Chinese Civilization: Toward a New Paradigm". The Journal of Asian Studies. 66 (2). Duke University Press: 461–496. JSTOR 20203165.
- ^ a b "Woman General Fu Hao". All China Women's Federation. Archived from the original on 27 August 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
- ^ "《高宗肜日 - Day of the Supplementary Sacrifice to Gao Zong》". Chinese Text Project. Archived from the original on 2014-04-12. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ Zeng Wenqing (曾文清) (1993). 关于"司母戊""司母辛"大方鼎的"司"字质疑 [On the question of the si character on the Simuwu-Simuxin great square ding]. Huaihua Shizhuan Xuebao (in Chinese). 21 (4): 71–73.
- ^ Per source, this title is translated as a sacrifice to "Gaozong", but as the recipient of the sacrifice bore the temple name "Taizu" while the performer of the sacrifice bore the temple name "Gaozong", the title should be read as a sacrifice of Gaozong. The source follows this reading in the body of the translation, but not in the title.