On the surface, most of the oracle bones are in AnyangYin Ruinsunearthed, which indicates that these texts wereShang DynastyMan inscribed. But,Shang DynastyThe time for a person to engrave is not equalOracleof the time of creation. OracleWhen was it created?OracleWhat is the source of ?These issues have been controversial.
Some scholars believe thatOracleThe creation time may be earlier than the Shang Dynasty, or even more than 5,000 years agoYangshao culturePeriod. However, in the prehistoric periodArchaeologyAfter the discovery was searched, scholars found ShandongYongsan CultureThe depiction symbols of Ding Gong Taowen, Henan Erlitou, and the depiction symbols of Banpo in the Yangshao periodOracleCompletely different. Therefore,OracleThe timing of its creation remains a mystery.
Based on my latest research with Dr. Shumin Chang, we use a method called "source-to-body signature".OracleCreation age. OracleA large number of characters are composed of shapes or shapes, and the images in them are taken from the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, winds, clouds, thunder and lightning, animals and plants, human organs, and various facilities and utensils involved in daily life, social activities and military operations. This law of "image formation" has given us researchOracleClues to the creation of the age.
Take the word "Jue" as an exampleArchaeologyIt was found that the soil of the early Shang was late and the bottom of the Jue was straight, whileYin RuinsThe bottom of the excavated jue is sharply curved. The age difference between these two types is about 200 years, and this age difference is for us to solveOracleThe question of creating time is crucial. By finishingOracleAfter all the occurrences of the word "Jue", it was found that there were 5 forms and writings, all of which reflected the flat-bottomed, long-flowing Jue, that is, the Jue in the 15th century BC. Because the utensils are thereArchaeologyIn the study corresponds to a specific age, once these artifacts are inOracleNow, we are likely to be able to find the age of the text.
In addition,Yin RuinsUnearthedBronzeThe word "Jue" also appears in the inscription. However, this word is related toYin RuinsThe Jue of the period is not similar at all, but more like the Jue of the early and late stages of the Shang Dynasty. This illustratesOracleThe character "Jue" in the book is taken from an artifact from the 15th century BC. The same,OracleThe word "ding" in also has 8 forms, withYin RuinsThe unearthed bronze tripods are not at all similar. ArchaeologyFound in the tripod is flat-footed, whileOracleThe bottom of the word "ding" in is pointed, and there is a gap in the middle. This particular type of tripod only appeared in the 15th century BC. These evidences all show:OracleCreated around the 15th century BC.
Still, we can't simply put itOracleThe time of creation is equivalent to the time of the origin of Chinese characters. The origin of Chinese charactersProbably earlier,OracleIt may just be a completely new script created by the Shang Dynasty themselves. OracleThe emergence of the Chinese character is similar to a Chinese character revolution in Chinese history. In the past, there was a view that Chinese characters and ** were created by working people in the process of labor, ** were produced when people shouted trumpets together, and words were accumulated for communication. However, according to the results of the current study,OracleThe creation is not like this, becauseOracleThe time of creation is concentrated around the 15th century B.C., with a relatively unified character creation law and an obvious way of taking images and conformations, which is more like the creation of one person or several people in the Chinese character revolution.
To **OracleThe creation of time, a person purely doesOracleWord research may not be enough to discover the answer;Again, a person does it purelyArchaeologyResearch, too, is difficult to findOracleThe law of creation time. Only willOraclewithArchaeologyExcavations combined with research reveal real and interesting histories and lead to many new discoveries and perspectives.
OracleThere is a clear connection with the artifact. OracleMany of the characters are taken from various utensils, such as cooking utensils, food utensils, wine utensils, weapons, and daily utensils. Due toArchaeologyThe age of these artifacts is known, once these artifacts are inOracleNow, you can deduce the age of the text.
Take the word "Jue" as an exampleOracle** The present jue comes in a variety of forms, but all reflect the jue of the 15th century BC. By sorting out all the occurrences of the word "Jue", it is found that there are no more than five forms and ways of writing. These writings reflect the 15th century BC. The same,OracleThe word "ding" in also has a variety of forms, withYin RuinsThe unearthed bronze tripod is completely different. WhileArchaeologyThe tripod found only appeared in the 15th century BC. This evidence proves itOracleIt was created around the 15th century BC.
To sum up, judging from the latest research results of Dr. Shumin Chang and me,OracleIt was probably created in bulk around the 15th century BC. Still, we thinkOracleIt is likely that other forms of writing have existed before. OracleThe appearance of is not equal toThe origin of Chinese characters, but more like a product of a Chinese character revolution. By willingOraclewithArchaeologyCombined, research can uncover more real and interesting history and lead to many new discoveries and perspectives.