Oracle bone divination at Anyang (Yin) (c. 1250–1046 BCE)

1. Capital moved to Yin near modern Anyang

   Jan 1, 1300 BCELabels: Yin Anyang, Pan Geng

   • UNESCO WHC
   • Britannica

2. Late Shang oracle-bone divination system matures

   Jan 1, 1250 BCELabels: Yinxu, Oracle bones

   • Britannica
   • UNESCO MoW

3. Wu Ding–era divination records proliferate

   Jan 1, 1250 BCELabels: Wu Ding, Diviners

   • Britannica
   • UNESCO MoW

4. Fu Hao appears in Anyang divination corpus

   Jan 1, 1200 BCELabels: Fu Hao, Yinxu tomb

   • Fu Hao Tomb
   • UNESCO WHC

5. Oracle-bone script spans late Shang kings

   Jan 1, 1200 BCELabels: Oracle-bone script, Dong Zuobin

   • UNESCO MoW
   • Oracle Bone

6. Divination topics document Shang state concerns

   Jan 1, 1150 BCELabels: Shang state, Divination topics

   • UNESCO MoW
   • Britannica

7. Late Shang divination becomes more standardized

   Jan 1, 1101 BCELabels: Late Shang, Standardization

   • Britannica
   • UNESCO MoW

8. End of Shang ends Anyang royal divination

   Jan 1, 1046 BCELabels: Shang dynasty, Royal divination

   • UNESCO WHC
   • Met Museum

9. Wang Yirong recognizes oracle-bone inscriptions

   Jan 1, 1899Labels: Wang Yirong, Dragon bones

   • UNESCO MoW
   • Wang Yirong

10. Xiaotun identified as key oracle-bone source area

    Jan 1, 1908Labels: Xiaotun, Anyang

    • China Daily
    • UNESCO WHC

11. Systematic Yinxu excavations begin (Academia Sinica)

    Jan 1, 1928Labels: Yinxu excavations, Academia Sinica

    • Oracle Bone
    • Yinxu

12. YH127 oracle-bone pit excavated at Xiaotun

    Jan 1, 1936Labels: Pit YH127, Xiaotun North

    • Oracle Bone
    • China Daily

13. Fu Hao tomb discovered intact at Yinxu

    Jan 1, 1976Labels: Fu Hao, Elite burial

    • Fu Hao Tomb
    • UNESCO WHC

14. Yin Xu inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site

    Jul 13, 2006Labels: Yin Xu, UNESCO

    • UNESCO WHC