. . . on display at the Museum of Chinese Characters in Anyang.
Model of an inscribed tortoise shell.
Prior to the invention of paper, writing was either carved into stone, or inscribed on flat "bones", like tortoise shells and ox scapula. These last were also used for divination.
Scapulamancy. Holes are drilled into the scapula, then a heated branch is held nearby, and the resulting cracks are interpreted.
Different sets of characters have been found in different sites within China; however as peoples migrated, the symbol sets began to lose their distinctiveness.
Symbols are usually somewhat dependent on media-carved symbols in stone tend to be runic, whereas the carved symbols in bone could be a lot more expressive due to the softer material.
An interesting display is the comparison between the 3,000-year-old Shang Dynasty characters and the corresponding modern characters.
Main gate at the museum in Anyang
Chinese Character Museum
Support columns are styled after those at the nearby Shang Dynasty site of Yin Xu.
The main foyer.
Model of an inscribed tortoise shell.
Prior to the invention of paper, writing was either carved into stone, or inscribed on flat "bones", like tortoise shells and ox scapula. These last were also used for divination.
Scapulamancy. Holes are drilled into the scapula, then a heated branch is held nearby, and the resulting cracks are interpreted.
Inscriptions on a (different) scapula.
Different sets of characters have been found in different sites within China; however as peoples migrated, the symbol sets began to lose their distinctiveness.
Symbols are usually somewhat dependent on media-carved symbols in stone tend to be runic, whereas the carved symbols in bone could be a lot more expressive due to the softer material.
An interesting display is the comparison between the 3,000-year-old Shang Dynasty characters and the corresponding modern characters.
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