An uncertain process

Shang oracle bone divination appears to have involved preparation of the bones and turtle shells beforehand, selecting good specimens and flattening the bones to allow better heat application and carving of the written charges. Experimental archaeology suggests that pits were carved into them in the places where heat would be applied. The initial inscriptions and resulting cracks were subsequently carved out more clearly and inked, likely for better record keeping. However, the process of interpretation is lost; academic studies have suggested that interpretation was based on variations in horizontal cracks produced by the heat, over which the diviner would have had some degree of control. Much about the process and inscriptions remains unknown – there is debate over whether the inscriptions themselves were intended as questions or charges, while many…

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Ancient History (Digital) - 1 Issue, AH 46

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