Archeologists have unearthed
four ancient inscriptions, known as "oracle bones", dating back to the Shang
Dynasty (16th - 11th BC), at the Daxinzhuang Ruins in Jinan City, capital of
east China's Shandong Province.
It was the first time Shang oracle bones had been found outsidethe dynasty's
3,300-year-old capital, Yinxu Ruins in Anyang City in central China's Henan
Province.
Oracle bone inscriptions, widely known as Jiaguwen in Chinese, referred to
words inscribed on tortoise shells or animal bones.
The shells had been dug out exclusively in Yinxu, and the latest finding
could provide key clues on formation of the dynastyand indication that the ruins
might have been an important cultural center, said Zhu Fenghan, deputy-curator
of National Museum of China.
Among the cache, three bones bear only one or two words, still not
deciphered.
The other is a large tortoise shell with 34 words, telling of three methods
to offer sacrifice to gods or ancestors.
Jiaguwen were first discovered by Wang Yirong in 1899 and are the earliest
systematic characters ever found in China.
There are about 5,000 Jiaguwen words, half of which can not be deciphered,
said Fang Hui, vice-director of Oriental Archeology Research Center with
Shandong University.
The Daxinzhuang Ruins was first discovered in 1936 and has yielded many
bronze pieces, jade articles and about 400 pieces of tortoise shells.
The ruins shares similar traits with the ancient capital of Yinxu, including
pottery, bronze and jade, and the finding of similar Jiaguwen proved that they
were using similar words.
The culture had spread from the ancient capital in central China's Henan
Province to eastern areas, Fang said.
