on of the daily life of the people (Meskill 7).
The government seems to have been a limited monarchy, in which much authority delegated to or retained by the nobles who were the local rulers. The highest ceremonial and governmental was vested in a king, who apparently presided at major rituals, assisted by priests. The nobility also engaged in warfare, fighting with spears and bows and arrows from horse-drawn chariots. However, the bulk of the armies consisted of footmen, often 3,000 to 5,000 strong. The third function of the nobility was administration. It may be that later strong hierarchic structures have been read back into the Shang period in popular memory.
Artisans, especially bronze craftsmen, seem to have been highly valued by the rulers. Their residences, though outside the city walls and smaller than those of the nobles, were quite large and of similar construction. The vessels they made range in size from 1,500 pounds to a few ounces, and their parts were so delicately crafted that until recently it was thought they had been cast as single pieces. Their incised decorations remain sharp today. The bronze workers also made chariot fittings and weapons (Meskill 8-9).
Franklin (287) points out that the absence of any archaeological evidence of smelting operations in Shang cities probably indicates that smelting was carried out near the copper mines that supplied the major raw material needed for making bronze. She also emphasizes that there is a great technological difference between metal working and metal production. She states the following.
To cast the large and sophisticated
...