Aaron McCarthy, age 16, of Marion, Ohio, for his question:

WHAT WAS THE EARLIEST KNOWN CHINESE DYNASTY?

Earliest known Chinese dynasty, or family of rulers, was called the Shang dynasty. The dynasty governed from about 1500 B.C. until 1027 B.C. It was centered in what is now northern Honan province.

Though based on agriculture, the Shang society became famous for its fine carvings and bronze work. Most Shang relics found by scientists came from An yang, the last Shang capital. An yang had houses, palaces, temples and many elaborate tombs.

Bronze was used to make vessls, weapons and chariot fixtures. The people also carved marble and jade and wove silk.

The Shang writing system had more than 3,000 symbols. This writing appears on pieces of bone called oracle bones. The people used oracle bones to ask the spirits of their ancestors about such future occurrences as crop raising, hunting trips and wars.

A priest king headed the Shang society. There were two classes of people: nobles and commoners.

The people worshiped their ancestors and had many gods. The two chief gods were what the people called a Ruler Above and a God of Earth.