The archaeological discovery of thousands of inscribed cattle scapulae and turtle plastrons, known as 'oracle bones' used for pyromancy divination, provided the first historical confirmation of which Chinese dynasty?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Shang Dynasty
- Step 1: In 1899, scholar Wang Yirong identified ancient Chinese characters engraved on 'dragon bones' sold by Beijing apothecaries.
- Step 2: Excavations at Anyang (Yinxu) in Henan uncovered over 150,000 oracle bones dating from roughly 1250 to 1046 BCE, confirming the royal lineages of the Shang Dynasty.
Answer
Shang Dynasty
Why not the others: 'Xia Dynasty' The Xia Dynasty is the traditional first Chinese dynasty mentioned in historical texts, but lacks contemporary written archaeological records; 'Zhou Dynasty' The Zhou Dynasty recorded history primarily on cast bronze vessels and bamboo slips; 'Han Dynasty' The Han Dynasty wrote extensively on silk, paper, and bamboo rolls.
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