The Shang Dynasty (ca. 1500–1050 B.C.E.) was the first Chinese dynasty to leave behind evidence of its culture, including written texts and bronze weapons. Following its collapse, China shifted between periods of unified empire and civil war, which often ushered in new dynasties. The Zhou Dynasty (ca. 1050–256 B.C.E.) helped establish this pattern by ascribing the fall of the Shang to the Mandate of Heaven, which argued that dynasties lose Heaven’s blessing when they become corrupt and can at that point be legitimately overthrown. After a long period of rule, even the Zhou Dynasty lost control of China, leading to a period of civil war known as the Warring States Period (403–221 B.C.E.). The political chaos of this time inspired a series of important political philosophies, such as Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism, on which later Chinese culture would be built.