The discovery of oracle bone inscriptions is related to the Chinese medicine dragon bone bronze ware.
The discovery of oracle bone inscriptions is related to the traditional Chinese medicine dragon bone. In the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the late Qing Dynasty (1899), Wang Yirong, a wine scholar and epigrapher at the Imperial Academy, went to the drugstore to seek medicine from a doctor because of his illness. Among them was a flavored medicine called "dragon bone". He accidentally discovered some special symbols on the medicinal material dragon bone. After some research, he believed that the dragon bone might be turtle bones and animal bones from thousands of years ago.
At the same time, he also identified some ancient writings from the symbols carved on the dragon bones. The dragon bones thus became an important opportunity for the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions, and only then did the oracle bone inscriptions begin to be taken seriously by the world. Oracle bone script is one of the calligraphy styles of Chinese characters and is also the oldest mature script in China. Oracle bone inscriptions are also called deed inscriptions, tortoise shell inscriptions or tortoise shell and animal bone inscriptions.
People in the Shang Dynasty used tortoise shells and animal bones for divination, and then carved the time of divination, the name of the divination person, and the divination matters with a knife next to the divination. Carve it on. However, the specific situation varies slightly depending on the stage of the oracle bones. Generally speaking, the inscriptions from the Wuding period are the most complete and are also the period with the largest number of extant ones.
The discovery of oracle bone inscriptions
Although the oracle bone inscriptions vary in size and vary intricately, they already have a symmetrical and stable pattern. Therefore, some people believe that Chinese calligraphy, strictly speaking, begins with oracle bone inscriptions, because oracle bone inscriptions prepare the three elements of calligraphy, namely, the use of pens, word knotting, and composition. Oracle bone inscriptions have a symmetrical and stable pattern.
Prepare the three elements of calligraphy, namely the use of pens, knotting of characters, and composition. Judging from the number and structure of fonts, Oracle has developed into a more rigorous system of writing. The "six books" principle of Chinese characters is reflected in oracle bone inscriptions. However, the traces of the original picture text are still quite obvious.
Divination has become a major event in the country's political life, and the imperial court has set up specialized institutions and divination officials. The oracle bones with inscriptions are preserved as national archives and piled in cellars. Therefore, the inscriptions on oracle bones have become the first-hand material for studying the history of the Shang Dynasty. They reflect all aspects of social life from 1300 BC to 1000 BC.