An image of this bone is seen
in countless textbooks as an example of the
earliest Chinese writing. Dating from about
1300 to 1050 BCE, it is a fine example of
an authentic oracle bone. Questions of moment
to the ruler and his people, about weather
related to agriculture, about marriages of
importance to the state, and about sacrifices
important to the order of the world, were
scratched onto the surfaces of bones or shells.
Then heat was applied, and by the cracks
on the surface, the diviner could read the
answers of Heaven. These bones were unearthed
by farmers and came to be known only at the
turn of the last century. Together they provide
information about the life of the ruling
class of the Shang dynasty, some 3,250 years
ago. Columbia's collection of oracle bones
is an important one, donated over the first
half of the twentieth century by a number
of scholars and collectors. |