Oracle Bone Script and Shang Dynasty Inscriptions (c. 13th–11th centuries BCE)

1. Earliest securely dated inscriptions under Wu Ding

   Jan 1, 1254 BCELabels: King Wu, Oracle-bone script

   • Oracle Script
   • Wu Ding
   • Cambridge Core

2. Shang royal divination inscribed on bones

   Jan 1, 1250 BCELabels: Yinxu, Oracle-bone script

   • UNESCO MOW
   • Cambridge Core
   • Oracle Script

3. Sexagenary-day dating appears in inscriptions

   Jan 1, 1250 BCELabels: Sexagenary cycle, Anyang

   • Oracle Bone

4. Lunar eclipse records aid absolute chronology

   Jan 1, 1198 BCELabels: Lunar eclipse, Oracle-bone inscriptions

   • Oracle Bone
   • XSZ Project

5. Oracle-bone tradition tapers after Shang conquest

   Jan 1, 1046 BCELabels: Zhou conquest, Oracle-bone tradition

   • Oracle Script
   • Oracle Bone

6. Wang Yirong recognizes oracle-bone writing

   Jan 1, 1899Labels: Wang Yirong, Dragon bones

   • Cambridge Core
   • Yinxu
   • Wang Yirong

7. Xiaotun near Anyang identified as source area

   Jan 1, 1910Labels: Xiaotun, Yinxu

   • Yinxu
   • Oracle Bone

8. Academia Sinica begins official Yinxu excavations

   Jan 1, 1928Labels: Academia Sinica, Yinxu excavations

   • Oracle Bone

9. YH127 pit discovered with over 17,000 pieces

   Jun 12, 1936Labels: YH127 pit, Yinxu

   • Henan Gov
   • Oracle Bone

10. Huayuanzhuang cache reported as major new discovery

    Jan 1, 1993Labels: Huayuanzhuang cache, Yinxu

    • Oracle Script

11. Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project commissioned

    Jan 1, 1996Labels: Xia Shang, Radiocarbon dating

    • XSZ Project

12. Yinxu inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List

    Jan 1, 2006Labels: Yinxu, UNESCO World

    • Yinxu
    • UNESCO WHC

13. Oracle-bone inscriptions added to UNESCO Memory of the World

    Jan 1, 2017Labels: Oracle-bone inscriptions, UNESCO Memory

    • UNESCO MOW
    • China org cn