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2. East Asian
Collections
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14.
Oracle Bone. China, Shang Dynasty, ca. 1300-1050
BCE. Scapula (11.4 cm. x 18 cm.) C. V.
Starr East Asian Library
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.
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15. Vessel (gui)
Bronze. China, Zhou Dynasty, 1050-256 BCE.
(height 15.9 cm., bottom diameter 30.5 cm.) Office
of Art Properties, Sackler Collections at Columbia University
This bronze ceremonial vessel, with its smooth
green patina, is a type (gui) that was used as a container
for food, probably for grain. The body is round, with two
dragon head handles and a band of conventional dragon motifs
on the upper part. The vessel is raised on three legs, which
are given the form of human figures.
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