Oracle bone

On oracle bones (Chinese甲骨文, Pinyin Jiǎgǔ Wen) from Yinxu that (approx. 1600-1000 BC) made during the Shang Dynasty, you will find the first evidence of Chinese writing.

They were used for divination with the so-called animal bone oracle. Today, they make a significant contribution to the study of early Chinese writing. The previously understandable only a third vocabulary already comprised some 4,500 different characters.

The first oracle bones were discovered in 1899 in Anyang described. Later, the first systematic archaeological excavations ( 1928-37 ) at Anyang promoted a variety of oracle bones revealed. Today, the number of oracle bones found over 15,000 and the archaeological site at Anyang has been included in the World Heritage Site of UNESCO.