Chinese archeologists have unearthed 628 inscribed animal bones and tortoise shells bearing inscriptions that are expected to help further the study of the primitive stages of Chinese writing.
Of the 628 bones found within the southern Xiaotun Village area of the Yin Ruins, capital of the Shang Dynasty (16th Century BC-11th Century BC) in central Henan Province's Anyang City, 228 bear inscriptions and the remaining 400 do not.
The 228 inscribed pieces, of which 105 are tortoise shells and 123 are animal bones, were chiseled with messages about sacrifices, war, hunting, climate, agriculture and divination.
Experts considered some vermilion-colored strokes on several bones as one of the most complete ancient pictographs in China. A shell, divided into parts by stroke lines, was also confirmed as rare by experts.
One pit, where 100 pieces of cattle bladebones were buried and a special layer set to underlie the bones, was believed by archeologists to be a depot.
Another pit with a record 16 human skeletons, together with a 9.5-kg bronze block, was also discovered in the Yin Ruins for the first time.
(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2002)
