Was writing used in the Xia period? This problem has long been discussed in academic circles. As a site of the Xia period, the Erlitou remains especially draw attention from scholars as to the traces of Xia writing. T...Was writing used in the Xia period? This problem has long been discussed in academic circles. As a site of the Xia period, the Erlitou remains especially draw attention from scholars as to the traces of Xia writing. The book Yanshi Erlitou publishes some “incised signs”, which can be identified as the forerunners of the later Chinese characters “shi” (矢 arrow), “jing” (井 well), “min” (皿 vessel),“meng” (盟), “feng”(丰 plenty), “dao” (道), “xing” (行 go), “bian” (鞭), “lai” (来 come), etc. They show a close genetic relationship with Yinxu oracle-bone inscriptions. These pottery glyphs come from the third and fourth phases of Erlitou culture and must be remains of Xia writing. Their structural analysis suggests that they do not belong to the earliest Chinese writing, which should be sought after in still earlier archaeological cultures.展开更多
The Daxinzhuang site in Jinan City contains mainly remains of the Shang culture. In March 2003,inscribed oracle bones of that time were unearthed from there. Among them the largest- sized is a turtle abdomical shell c...The Daxinzhuang site in Jinan City contains mainly remains of the Shang culture. In March 2003,inscribed oracle bones of that time were unearthed from there. Among them the largest- sized is a turtle abdomical shell consisting of four parts. It is carefully retouched,and bears circular and subelliptic hollows and firing traces for divination. The deciphered characters total 31, and the inscriptions are all oracular, with the positive and negative versions of the divining question occurring on the left and right respectively. Studies suggest that the oracular inscriptions from Daxinzhuang belong to the same system as those from the Yin Ruins, though a few characters show features of their own in composition. They should be dated to the time between the second and third phases d the Yin Ruins. As the first batch of Shang oracle-bone inscriptions unearthed beyond the Yin Ruins,they have great value and significance in the studies of oracle bones.展开更多
文摘Was writing used in the Xia period? This problem has long been discussed in academic circles. As a site of the Xia period, the Erlitou remains especially draw attention from scholars as to the traces of Xia writing. The book Yanshi Erlitou publishes some “incised signs”, which can be identified as the forerunners of the later Chinese characters “shi” (矢 arrow), “jing” (井 well), “min” (皿 vessel),“meng” (盟), “feng”(丰 plenty), “dao” (道), “xing” (行 go), “bian” (鞭), “lai” (来 come), etc. They show a close genetic relationship with Yinxu oracle-bone inscriptions. These pottery glyphs come from the third and fourth phases of Erlitou culture and must be remains of Xia writing. Their structural analysis suggests that they do not belong to the earliest Chinese writing, which should be sought after in still earlier archaeological cultures.
文摘The Daxinzhuang site in Jinan City contains mainly remains of the Shang culture. In March 2003,inscribed oracle bones of that time were unearthed from there. Among them the largest- sized is a turtle abdomical shell consisting of four parts. It is carefully retouched,and bears circular and subelliptic hollows and firing traces for divination. The deciphered characters total 31, and the inscriptions are all oracular, with the positive and negative versions of the divining question occurring on the left and right respectively. Studies suggest that the oracular inscriptions from Daxinzhuang belong to the same system as those from the Yin Ruins, though a few characters show features of their own in composition. They should be dated to the time between the second and third phases d the Yin Ruins. As the first batch of Shang oracle-bone inscriptions unearthed beyond the Yin Ruins,they have great value and significance in the studies of oracle bones.
