Oracle bone script

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/oracle-bone-script

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the material composition?Predominantly ox scapulae and turtle plastrons, prepared for inscription and heat application
2. Where were most oracle bones found?Most of them were discovered at Yinxu, the last Shang capital, near modern Anyang in Henan province.
3. How were oracle bones used in rituals?Diviners drilled holes in ox shoulder bones or turtle shells, heated them, and read the cracks that appeared as messages from ancestors.

Scapulimancy: A divinatory practice involving the interpretation of cracks formed by heating animal shoulder bones.
Plastron: The ventral (lower) part of a turtle's shell, frequently used as a surface for oracle bone inscriptions.
Yinxu: The archaeological site of the final Shang Dynasty capital, renowned for its extensive oracle bone discoveries.
Etymology: The study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.