WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The ancient kings would inscribe their name and the date on the bone along with a question. They would then heat the bone until it cracked and then interpret the shape of the crack, which was believed to provide an answer to their question. Piece of ox bone with Shang-era writing.

Detailed explanation-2: -Oracle bone script (Chinese: ; pinyin: jiǎgǔwén) is an ancient form of Chinese characters that were engraved on oracle bones-animal bones or turtle plastrons used in pyromantic divination. Oracle bone script was used in the late 2nd millennium BC, and is the earliest known form of Chinese writing.

Detailed explanation-3: -The term “oracle bone” refers to ox scapulae (or shoulder blade bones) and tortoiseshells used by Shang rulers for divination.

Detailed explanation-4: -Archaeologists soon realized that these texts were records of divinations from the late Shang dynasty (circa 1250–1046 BCE), about 3, 000 years ago: Prayers would be written on a piece of bone, usually from a turtle or cow, and then burned to see how the bone cracked.

Detailed explanation-5: -Oracle Bones were bones that the Chinese would carve or scratch their questions on. Then the priests would burn the oracle bone until it would crack. Then the priest read these cracks to the Chinese people for their answer. The Chinese people believed their answer to be from the gods.