Radiocarbon dating has shown that the No 3 and No 4 pits, at 3,000 to 3,200 years old, go back to the late Shang Dynasty (16th century-11th century BC) , Xu said.
We're going to delve into the Shang Dynasty of ancient China where psychics interpreted heated bones to help people make decisions which led to the development of Chinese writing.
The Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC) relics distributed in the sacrificial area are all related to sacrificial activities, covering an area of nearly 13,000 square meters.
From the surviving oracle bones, we have primary evidence for just how prosperous the Shang Dynasty was and how people, mostly the elite, spent their time.
Consulting a psychic in the Shang Dynasty was considered an important resource for decision-making, and anyone from your local farmer to your king could consult about their future.
Although some oracle bones have been found from the Zhou Dynasty, most of them are dated to the Shang Dynasty—the period of Chinese history when oracle bones were used most regularly.
Chinese writers in later dynasties referred to the Shang Dynasty as a kind of Golden age, and the oracle bones showed modern-day scholars that they had certainly a good reason to think that.
During her lifetime, she played an active role in public life, performed important rites, led armies into battle, and helped her husband usher in a golden age for the Shang dynasty.