The oldest securely attributable oracle-bone inscriptions are commonly associated with the reign of King Wu Ding. Radiocarbon dating of a set of Wu Ding–period oracle bones supports a 13th-century BCE timeframe for this earliest securely dated stage of the script.
At the late Shang capital (Yin, near modern Anyang), diviners prepared ox scapulae and turtle plastrons, applied heat to produce cracks, and carved written records of the divination questions and outcomes. These inscriptions constitute the earliest large corpus of Chinese writing (oracle bone script).
Many early Anyang oracle-bone texts record dates using the 60-day stems-and-branches (sexagenary) cycle, showing the integration of calendrical notation into state divination records and enabling later chronological reconstruction.
A subset of oracle-bone inscriptions record astronomical events (notably lunar eclipses). Correlating these with calculated eclipses became a key method for anchoring late Shang regnal chronologies to absolute dates.
After the Zhou overthrow of the Shang (mid-11th century BCE), comparable large caches of oracle-bone divination records are not found; divination practices increasingly emphasized other media (e.g., milfoil), and far fewer oracle-bone inscriptions date to the Western Zhou.
In 1899, Qing official and epigrapher Wang Yirong identified the markings on “dragon bones” sold in pharmacies as ancient writing, launching modern scholarly study of oracle bones and prompting efforts to trace their provenance.
As collecting and study expanded, investigators traced the “dragon bones” supply to Xiaotun village near Anyang, linking the texts to the archaeological site of the late Shang capital (Yinxu/Yin Ruins).
China’s first large-scale, systematic excavations at Yinxu were undertaken by the Institute of History and Philology (Academia Sinica) beginning in 1928, recovering large numbers of inscribed bones under controlled archaeological conditions.
During Academia Sinica excavations, the YH127 oracle-bone pit was found at Xiaotun (Yinxu) and yielded over 17,000 pieces, dramatically expanding the available corpus for philological and historical study.
A major late Shang oracle-bone cache at/near Huayuanzhuang (Yinxu area) was reported in the early 1990s, highlighted as the most significant large discovery since 1899 and expanding the textual base beyond long-known collections.
A PRC-sponsored, multidisciplinary initiative launched in 1996 applied archaeology, radiocarbon dating, texts, and astronomy to propose an absolute chronology for early dynasties, including late Shang regnal dates informed by oracle-bone evidence.
The Yin Ruins (Yinxu), where most oracle bones were excavated, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006, recognizing the site’s outstanding significance for understanding late Shang civilization and early Chinese writing.
Oracle-bone inscriptions were inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register (listed by UNESCO as “Chinese Oracle-Bone Inscriptions”), underscoring their global documentary importance as evidence for late Shang religion, governance, language, and writing.
Oracle Bone Script and Shang Dynasty Inscriptions (c. 13th–11th centuries BCE)
