he secular. Kingship was hereditary, but inheritance might be in the form of intragenerational succession from older to younger brother or intergenerational inheritance from uncle to nephew. The king had religious duties and was also the leader in time of war. In time of peace, he was a hunter, and major hunts might go on for months. The Shang may have originated as an alliance, and loyalty was to the king rather than to an abstract state. The king's authority was in constant need of reassertion, since he spent much of his time in travel to reinforce the kin and religious ties with local leaders. Officials served in various capacities to assist the king, acting as generals in war, serving on royal missions, supervising building projects, and so on. Between the privileged nobility and the majority of peasants stood the artisans who worked in jade, bronze, bone, and leather; wove hemp and silk; made pottery; built chariots; and fashioned a material culture more sophisticated than that of previous eras.
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