ABSTRACT
B ronze ritual vessels are some of the most famous products of the fi rst Chinese civilization. It takes its name from the Shang dynasty, which ruled the valley of the Huanghe in the second millennium B.C. The ritual vessels were the mark and preserve of an elite group, those who governed the Shang and neighboring states. They relied on the ancestors to guide and protect them, seeking advice through divination and placating them by ritual banquets served in these sumptuous bronze vessels.
