A Case Study in East Asian Religions

Oracle bone inscriptions are an important piece of evidence into the religious life of the Chinese under the Shang Dynasty (1750-1050 BCE) (Ludwig, 160). These inscriptions were made on the shoulder blades of animals (usually oxen) and on tortoise shells, and used for divination. These bones usually have questions inscribed into them by Shang Dynasty diviners about concerns of the people, such as sacrifices, weather, war, hunting, travel and luck. After the diviner's question had been inscribed onto the bone, it was then heated and the patterns of cracks made on the bone were somehow interpreted into "yes" or "no". A few of the known oracle bones even have the interpreted answer and the eventual outcome inscribed into them. Oracle bones were first discovered in the ruins of the Shang capital, Anyang, in the late 19th century. At that time they were seen by the Chinese as ancient relics made of dragon bones which could be ground up and used medicinally. It wasn't until the 1920's that the full meaning of the oracle bones caught the attention of scholars.