Zhou overthrew Shang at Battle of Muye. Zhou capitals clustered in fertile Wei River valley near Xi'an. Shang lands divided into hereditary fiefs that grew independent. Zhou adopted Shang bronze vessels, craftsmen, and ancestor rituals but rejected human sacrifice. Bronze inscriptions record royal appointments, military campaigns, and elite honors. Early Zhou ascendant 75 years then gradual power loss. Duke of Zhou crushed rebellion of Three Guards after King Wu's death. Kings Cheng and Kang expanded via colonies and campaigns until King Zhao's fatal southern defeat. Middle period saw defensive wars and bureaucratic reforms. King Yi boiled Duke of Qi showing waning royal authority. King Li exiled amid revolt leading to Gonghe Regency. King Xuan campaigned against Xianyun and Huaiyi nomads. Quanrong pastoralists ended Western Zhou by sacking Haojing. Society based on maternal clan names and patrilineal lineages controlling villages. Land treated as lineage property by middle period. Introduced Tian deity unlike Shang Di. Elite burials uniform across domain with standardized vessels and no Shang-scale sacrifices. Mid-period ritual shift to larger lineage feasts with new vessel sets and bells. Inscriptions extol successes ignoring defeats. Zhou origins obscure from diverse Wei valley groups. Predynastic Zhou lacked distinctive material culture.