Fu Hao: Military general and high priestess
Who was Fu Hao?
- Fu Hao (also known as Lady Hao) was a wife of King Wu Ding.
- She was also a military general and high priestess.
- Wu Ding actually had 64 wives, but Fu Hao became the second most powerful.
- She died around 1200 BC.
What did she do?
Fu owned her own land.
King Wu ordered Fu to make very special rituals and sacrifices. We know this from the oracle bones.
They also tell us that Fu was a general in command of Shang armies. The weapons in her tomb also suggest this.
Fu Hao had up to 13,000 troops serving under her and won many battles.
Other women were also in the military during the Shang dynasty. About 600 women are recorded in the oracle bones as being in the army.
What was in Fu Hao’s tomb?
In 1976, the tomb of Fu Hao was discovered.
It is the only Shang dynasty tomb left untouched, partly because Fu was buried away from the royal tombs across the river at Yinxu.
Discovered in the tomb were:
- over 700 jade objects
- more than 500 bone objects
- 400 bronze objects
- 16 dogs
- 16 human sacrifices
Some of the jade objects had been collected by Fu herself and were already antiques when she died.
She was also buried with a large quantity of weapons including great battle axes.
Activities
Activity 1: Fu Hao quiz
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