Summary Package 2

The rediscovery of the Shang began with Malaria. That at least, is the legend. Describe what are oracle bones, how they were discovered, how they were used and their significance. [25m]

USE ONLY MATERIALS FROM PARAGRAPHS 1 to 6.

Your summary, which must be in continuous writing (not note form) must not be longer than 160 words, including the 10 words given below.

Begin your summary as follows:

The rediscovery of the Shang began with the discovery of …

The rediscovery of the Shang began with the discovery of oracle bones which were turtle or cattle scapulas. They were inscribed with strange characters that resembled written Chinese. Inscriptions on the bones are about the events of national significance. Oracle bones are used to make a statement about the future and were discovered by Wang Yirong’s family when they bought turtle plastrons to make traditional Chinese medicine. Wang Yirong became the first major collector of the inscribed shells. The oracle bones were discovered at Xiaotun and they were used to verify whether the event would occur. They were carefully cleaned and treated and thinned by drilling notches into the back and a hot object was applied until the surface cracked. King’s interpretation of the cracks was carved into the object with the original divination statement. The significance of the oracle bones proved that people who appear in traditional historical texts exist and that the ancient tales were more than myth.