The rediscovery of the Shang began with the discovery of turtle shells or large cattle bones. They are inscribed with ancient Chinese characters. Inscriptions on it are about events of national significance. Wang Yirong’s family bought the turtle shells to make medicine.Wang Yirong, an archaeologist, was the first to build up a collection of oracle bones. Oracles bones were used by Shang fortune tellers to foretold predictions about the future and used it to check whether events would occur. The bones were cleaned and thinned. Then, they applied a hot object until the surface cracked. The cracked shell or bones were presented to the king. The King’s interpretation of the cracks was engraved onto the shell together with the original prediction. The oracle bones are the first written texts and were found in Xiaotun. It also proved that the ancient tales were more than myth.
10:18 PM