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LE CT UR E 6
Pr ep ar at i on of b o nes an d s h e l ls , D i v in a ti o n, D i v in a ti o n i ns c r ip t io n s ,
Form ats , G r am m ar, S t ora g e
1. Shang scapulimancy and writing
The use of both plastrons (plastromancy) and cattle scapulas (scapulimancy) with bored hollows and
engraved divination records made Shang the first fully literate civilization east of the Indus, the first
consistent users of that logographic script which has characterized the writing of China and much of the far
East ever since, the first people of China of whom true history can be written.
2. Preparations for pyromancy
(i) Materials: bovid and other bones; turtle shells (female); the ratio of bone to shell varied at
different times; sources of these materials.
(ii) Initial preparation:saw, scrape, and smooth
(iii) Marginal notation: inscriptions at the back of the bridge of the plastrons or at the lower part of
the carapace near the spine or near the socket of the bone, indicating the number of shells or bones
received or processed.
(iv) Bored or chiseled the hollows: used jade knife, bronze chisel, or stone burin. In Zhuang Zi it
mentioned 72 hollows per turtle shell.
(v) Burning and cracking:source of heat? Order of burning? Percentage of hollows used? The
sound of cracking "Pak" or "Po" is literally used to mean the process of cracking.
(vi) The omen from the shape of cracks.
Mos t l y b o vi d s h o ul d er b la d es an d t urt l e s h el l p l as tr o ns wer e c l e an e d, tr im m ed,
s m ooth e d, a n d po l is he d. M ar g i n al no ta t io ns , wh ic h inc l ud e d n um be r, s ou rc e , d at e a nd
pers o ns as s oc i a te d wi th h a nd l i ng , we re m ad e. T h es e adm i nis tr at i v e r ec ords are c a l l ed
J i a- q i ao - k e- c i or gu- j i u - k e- c i. A s er i e s of ho l l o ws was th e n b ore d o r c h is e le d i nt o t he
bac k or i nn er s ur f ac e of t h e bo n e or s h e ll . T he c om pl et e h o ll o w h as th e s h a pe of za o he or " da t e p it " f or m . Fi g. 1 : a c om p[ l et e b o v i d s c ap u l a. F ig . 2: pr ep ar ed s c ap u la wi th
da t e p its . F i g. 3 : t ur t l e p l as tr o n, e p id erm al s c ut es a nd bo n y s h e ll ( do tt e d)
s up er im pos ed .
Fi g . 2
Fi g . 4 Fi g . 5
Fi g . 3
Fi g . 6
Fi g. 1
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Fi g. 4 : d at e p its on t h e tur t le s he l l. F i g. 5 : 7 2 h ol l o ws as des c r i b e d i n a nc i e nt t ex t , e .g .
Zh ua n g Z i . F i g. 6: i d e a l p lac em ent f or ins c r i pt i on on t h e p las tro n .
3. D iv in at i on
At t h e m om ent o f d i v in at i on , t he d i v i ner pro p os e d t he c har g e an d a pp l i ed he at t o t he
ho l l o w in t h e bac k ; t hi s s c or c h ed a n d c h arre d th e b o ne or s he l l wi t h th e res u lt t h at a p u
( 卜 ) - s h ap e d c r ac k f or m ed o n i t s f r on t. T h e s ourc e of h ea t h as no t b e en f u l l y
es t a bl is h ed . T he o r d e r of b ur n i n g pro b ab l y f o ll o we d t he c rac k num bers as r ec o rd e d.
Af t er c r ac k in g , th e c r a c k ing was i nt er pr et ed , a n d an en gr a ver en gr a ve d t he di v i n at i on
rec o rd o n to t h e s c ap u l a or p l as tr o n. F ig . 7: c rac k s a nd ins c r i pt i o ns . F ig . 8: a
ph o no l o gic a l c l u e f r om or ac le bo n e.
Fi g . 8
Fi g. 7
4. O ra cl e- b on e in sc ri pt ion s
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S inc e t he dis c o v er y i n 1 8 99 , th e t ot a l n um be r of ex c a va te d or ac l e bo n es a nd s h e l ls
ex c e e ds 1 50 ,0 0 0 p iec es . As s um i ng t h at e ac h p iec e m a y c o nt a in 1 0 c h arac te rs , we h a ve
at le as t 1 , 50 0 ,0 0 0 wor ds or ac l e d oc um ents o f S ha n g h is t or y. T h e s i gn if ic a nc e of S h an g
or ac l e b on e i ns c r i pt i o ns to C h i nes e
an d wor ld c i vi l i za t i on i s e n or m ous .
Fi g . 9
T hes e d o oc um e nts d e a lt m os tl y wi t h
c erem o ni a l s ac r if ic e, r it es , m il i ta r y
c am pa ig ns , hu nt i n g ac ti v i t ies ,
ex c us i o n, a gr ic u l tu r e , t e n- da y we ek
d i vi n at i on , we a th er , d i s eas es , bu i l d in g
s et t lem en t etc . R o ug h tl y 4 8 % on
c erem o n y, 1 5% o n ex c us io n, 10 % on
hu n ti n g, 1 5% on m il i ta r y ac t io n, 12 %
on har v es t an d we a th e r . F i g. 8:
c o ll ec ti o n of ins c r i pt i o ns c o nt a in i ng
th e wo r d "j i " in Sh im a Hu n io 's Ink y o
bok u j i s or ui . F i g. 9 : c o ll ec ti o n of ins c r i p t i o n s c o nt a i ni n g th e d i v i ne r L u.
Fi g.9
5. The format of oracle bone inscriptions
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T he s ta n dar d f or m at c ons is ts f o ur p ar ts , n a m el y, pr ef ac e, c h ar ge , pr o gn os t ic at i o n, a n d
v er if ic at i on . I n a dd i t io n, t h e orac l e b on e rec ords als o i nc l ud e c rac k num bers , d i vi n at i on
s ets , a nd c r ac k no ta t i ons . T he f o l lo wi n g t a b le g i v es a s t an d ard f orm at f or as k in g
wh et h er th er e wo u l d b e r a in on c e rt a in d a te :
P os i t i ve
ne g at i v e
Pr ef ac e
Da te +s h am an +d i v i ne
Da te +s h am an +d i v i ne
Ch ar ge
Ra i n
No ra i n
pro g nos t ic a t io n
K in g s a i d wi l l r ai n o n " da t e"
v er if ic at i on
It r a i ne d o n " d at e "
Fig. 10: Inscriptions from Bin-Pen, #368 and 369.
6.
Inscriptions and archives
Fi g. 10
It is possible that Shang people first write all the inscriptions using brush on the polished shells or bones
and then engraved with certain sharpen tools. It is unclear whether they wrote the charge before or after
the divination. The format of the ceremony is no longer clear either. However, from the way that all those
oracle bones were maintained, there is no doubt that they were kept by royal archavists. The fact that
oracle bones and shells were excavated from pits supports this notion.