Oracle Bone Inscriptions and Cultural Memory / Li Zong-kun Institute of History and Philology, Philology Academia Sinica

The Discovery of Oracle Bone Inscriptions 25(1899) In 1899, oracle bones were rescued from their near fate as medical ingredients and became the subject of academic research

On the day of Bingzi, the Bingzi diviner Wei predicted : We will have an abundant harvest. harvest

On the day of Bingzi, the diviner Wei predicted : We will not h ill t have an abundant b d t harvest.

Oracle Bone Inscriptions Are oracle bone (jiaguwen) inscriptions also called oracular (buci) inscriptions? ( buci ) Are these inscriptions representative of the oldest Chi ld t Chinese characters? h t ?

The Cultural Meaning of Oracle Bones In Paleography: Oracle bone inscriptions are the oldest Chinese characters g p y p that have been found thus far. The four oldest writing systems in the world are: Egyptian hieroglyphs, Mesopotamian cuneiform, Chinese characters and Mayan script; aside from Chinese characters the rest of these scripts characters, have already been abandoned or have disappeared. The oracle bone inscriptions found at the Yin Ruins represent the origin of Chinese characters. characters In History: Oracle bone inscriptions mark the beginning of Chinese written history

Searching for the Original Meanings of Characters

We may start by searching for the original meanings of characters, but where do we characters go from there?

p p people walking/footprints g p road to walk to pass through to [be] prevalent lines and rows

Characters before Oracle Bone p Inscriptions

The Origin of Written Characters Cang Jia created Chinese characters Legend of the Eight Trigrams Tying knots Origins in drawing

Character[s] Pictograph[s] What is a character? Differences between pictures and characters

(6000-7000) ( )Xian Banpo (6000-7000 years old)

(2800 B.C.)Dawenkou Cultural Remains in Shandong (2800 B.C.)

IHP and O l B d Oracle Bone Inscriptions

Scientific Excavations of Oracle Bones 1928-1937 () 1525,000 1525 000

IHPs 1928-1937 Scientific ExcavationsThese Excavations: Represented the first time scientific methods were used to excavate oracle bones Established the foundation for Chinese archaeology.Chen Mengjia Mark the largest excavation ever to be carried out at the Yin Ruins O Obtained 25,000 oracle bone f 2 000 fragments or pieces after f f f fifteen excavations. IHP now contains the largest oracle bone collection in the world.

1929The Second Excavation in 1929

YH127 The Excavation of Oracle Bones at Pit YH127

Preparation for Packing and Transportation

Packing and Transportation of Materials for Organization Indoors Indoors. (This method is still applied in archaeological studies today)

Special Features of Oracle Bones at IHP1. These oracle bones were the first to be excavated using scientific methodology in China 2. Complete archaeological data is available for the oracle bones 3. IHP contains the largest collection of oracle bones in the world 4. The oracle bones contained within IHP are extremely unique (most of these oracles bones are scapula or tortoise plastron)

1. 1 The Biggest Tortoise

44*35CM YH127 Excavated from pit YH127

2.The Only Deer Skull Inscription Ever Discovered

3.Ox Skull Inscriptions

Ink and Vermillion Marks[Writing] on Oracle Bones

Digital Archives of Oracle Bone Inscriptions(1) Digital Archive of Oracle Bone Rubbings http://rub.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/~oracle/home2.htm (2) Ancient Writings from the Yin Ruins http://www.npm.gov.tw/exhbition/yin0701/yin0701.htm (/Ch) p p g g y y ( ) http://www.npm.gov.tw/english/exhbition/eyin0701/yin0701.htm (/En) (3) Archaeological Data http://ndweb.iis.sinica.edu.tw/archaeo2_public/System/Artifact/Frame http://ndweb iis sinica edu tw/archaeo2 public/System/Artifact/Frame _Search.htm / Ch http://archeodata.sinica.edu.tw/allindex_en.html http://archeodata sinica edu tw/allindex en html / En

Conclusion Oracle bones are a treasured part of Chinese culture and a precious world heritage. Oracle bone inscriptions are extremely important to research about history and the development of Chinese characters. The history of oracle bones shares a close and inseparable relationship with the Institute of History and Philology.

Conclusion The oracle bones stored at IHP were all obtained through scientific excavations performed b archaeologists. Th ti f d by h l i t There are complete l t excavation records for these oracle bones as well as photographs and documentary film from the excavations. The oracle bones have been researched and organized by several generations of scholars and experts, and their authenticity is beyond doubt.

These oracle bones are the earliest proofs of and witnesses to Chinese history and the development of Chinese characters. IHP has become one of the most important places in the world for the excavation, excavation research and preservation of oracle bones.