Predynastic Zhou

Predynastic Zhou 先周
c. 1150 BC–1046 BC
Status	Autonomous state within Shang dynasty
Capital	Bin Zhouyuan
Common languages	Old Chinese
Religion	Chinese patriarchal religion, Mandate of Heaven
Government	Chiefdom
Leader
• c. 1158 – 1126 BC	Gugong Danfu
• c. 1126 – 1101 BC	Ji, Lord of Zhou
• c. 1101 – 1050 BC	Ji Chang, Elder of Zhou
• c. 1050 – 1046 BC	Ji Fa, Elder of Zhou
Historical era	Bronze Age
• Capital moved to Zhouyuan	c. 1150 BC
• Murder of Jili	1101 BC
• Ji Chang received Mandate of Heaven	1059 BC
• Battle of Muye	1046 BC
• Established dynasty	1046 BC
Succeeded by Zhou dynasty
Today part of	China

Part of a series on the
History of China
Timeline Dynasties Historiography
Prehistoric Paleolithic Neolithic (c. 8500 – c. 2000 BCE) Yellow, Yangtze, and Liao civilization
Ancient Xia (c. 2070 – c. 1600 BCE) Predynastic Shang (c. 21st century – c. 1600 BCE) Shang (c. 1600 – c. 1046 BCE) Predynastic Zhou (c. 1150 – c. 1046 BCE) Zhou (c. 1046 – c. 256 BCE) Western Zhou (1046–771 BCE) Eastern Zhou (771–256 BCE) Spring and Autumn (c. 770 – c. 476 BCE) Warring States (475–221 BCE)
Imperial
Modern Republic of China (mainland, 1912–1949)
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The Predynastic Zhou or Proto-Zhou (/dʒoʊ/;^[1] Chinese: 先周) refers to the state of Zhou that existed in the Guanzhong region of modern Shaanxi province during the Shang dynasty of ancient China, before its conquest of the Shang in 1046/1045 BC which led to the establishment of the Zhou dynasty. It was ruled by the Ji clan. According to histories, Predynastic Zhou rose as a western vassal of the Shang, acting as its ally until their influence surpassed that of the dynasty.

Records about Predynastic Zhou came from two sources. The Shang dynasty kept records about Zhou in oracle bones. The texts about Zhou inscribed by the Shang court are mainly those from the reign of Wu Ding and the last Shang monarchs. After the fall of Shang, the Ji clan established the Zhou dynasty and started their own narrative about previous generations. The Book of Documents and the Bamboo Annals are two major historical sources. Later, Sima Qian wrote about the country using the texts as reference.