New
New
Year 3

The discovery of Fu Hao's tomb

I can describe what was found in Fu Hao's tomb.

New
New
Year 3

The discovery of Fu Hao's tomb

I can describe what was found in Fu Hao's tomb.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In 1976 the archaeologist Zheng Zhenxiang made an amazing discovery at a dig in eastern China.
  2. She uncovered a royal tomb, filled with jade, bone and bronze artefacts.
  3. The tomb also contained the bodies of six dogs and sixteen enslaved people.
  4. Zhenxiang and her team identified the tomb as belonging to Fu Hao, a queen and general of the Shang Dynasty.

Keywords

  • China - modern day China is a large country in East Asia

  • Shang Dynasty - the Shang Dynasty was a series of Bronze Age rulers coming from the same family

  • Tomb - a tomb is a place specially built to bury people who have died

  • General - a general is someone who leads an army

  • Jade - jade is a very hard stone which is used for making jewellery and other objects

Common misconception

Ancient generals were only men.

The story of Fu Hao as one of the best Shang Dynasty generals at this time disproves this. There are records of around 600 women in the army at this time too.

There are lots of colouring templates online of the contents of Fu Hao's tomb. This could be a nice homework or additional task for students to complete and label.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
A __________ is a group of people who live together and follow the same ways of life.
team
archaeologist
Correct answer: civilisation
Q2.
People who dig in the ground for clues about people who lived in the past are archaeologists.
Correct answer: True
False
Q3.
Ancient civilisations usually started with what type of people?
bakers
shoe makers
Correct answer: farmers
Q4.
Match the ancient civilisation to the river.
Correct Answer:Ancient Egypt,River Nile

River Nile

Correct Answer:Ancient Indus Valley,River Indus

River Indus

Q5.
What things do archaeologists know about the people of the Indus Valley?
Correct answer: They could make things from clay.
Correct answer: They were good at building cities.
They know what they wrote about their gods.
Q6.
Which things are still a mystery about the Indus Valley civilisation?
the river
Correct answer: religion
Correct answer: writing

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keyword to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:tomb,a place built to bury people who have died

a place built to bury people who have died

Correct Answer:Shang Dynasty,a series of Bronze Age rulers coming from the same family

a series of Bronze Age rulers coming from the same family

Correct Answer:jade,a hard green stone used for making jewellery and other objects

a hard green stone used for making jewellery and other objects

Q2.
Only men could be generals in the army at the time of the Shang Dynasty.
True
Correct answer: False
Q3.
Select the items that have been found in Fu Hao’s tomb.
wooden toys
Correct answer: bronze axe heads
Correct answer: jade statues
Q4.
In which year did archaeologists discover Fu Hao’s tomb?
1676
1776
1876
Correct answer: 1976
Q5.
The Shang Dynasty ruled in the country we call today.
Correct Answer: China, china
Q6.
What do the cowrie shells found in Fu Hao’s tomb tell us about her?
She liked the beach.
Correct answer: She was rich.
She was sad.
She was a warrior.

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