Oracle Bone
CultureChinese
DateShang dynasty (1500-1045 B.C.E.)
MediumBone
DimensionsOverall: 3 1/4 × 2 3/4 × 1 1/8 inches (8.26 × 6.99 × 2.86 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number50-31
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 232
Collections
Gallery LabelThe Shang elite addressed questions to their ancestors using the shoulder blades (scapula) of oxen and the underbelly shells (plastron) of turtles. When a hot poker was applied to the rear, cracks appeared on the front surface. These cracks were interpreted as answers to the questions, which were inscribed alongside. These inscriptions represent the earliest surviving substantive examples of Chinese writing.
With Oriental Fine Arts, Inc., New York, by March 24, 1950 [1];
Purchased from Oriental Fine Arts, Inc. by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1950.
NOTES:
[1] Oriental Fine Arts, Inc. was owned by Arthur B. Rothwell, from whom the Nelson-Atkins acquired another group of oracle bones (object nos. 35-115/1-12) in 1960.
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