Religious rites, ancestor worship, and divination practices in the Shang (c. 1600–1046 BCE)

1. Erligang-era divination with burned scapulae spreads

   Jan 1, 1600 BCELabels: Erligang horizon, Scapula divination

   • Britannica
   • Thorp excerpt

2. Shang kings relocate capital to Yin (Anyang)

   Jan 1, 1300 BCELabels: Yin Anyang, Pan Geng

   • UNESCO
   • XSZ Project

3. Late Shang oracle-bone divination becomes standardized

   Jan 1, 1250 BCELabels: Oracle bones, Turtle plastron

   • Britannica
   • Thorp excerpt

4. Reign of Wu Ding anchors Shang divination record

   Jan 1, 1250 BCELabels: Wu Ding, Anyang inscriptions

   • Britannica
   • Oracle bone
   • Wu Ding

5. Oracle-bone inscriptions record the divination workflow

   Jan 1, 1250 BCELabels: Oracle-bone inscriptions, Divination workflow

   • Britannica
   • Oracle bone
   • Zheng diviner

6. Diviners and the royal court professionalize mantic labor

   Jan 1, 1230 BCELabels: Named diviners, Royal court

   • Britannica
   • Oracle bone
   • Zheng diviner

7. Royal ancestor worship dominates Shang state religion

   Jan 1, 1200 BCELabels: Royal ancestors, Shang kings

   • Britannica
   • Ancestral cult

8. Di (Shangdi) appears as highest power in inscriptions

   Jan 1, 1200 BCELabels: Di Shangdi, Ancestor cult

   • Britannica
   • Shang religion

9. Human and animal sacrifice integral to Shang rites

   Jan 1, 1200 BCELabels: Human sacrifice, Animal sacrifice

   • Britannica
   • UNESCO

10. Fu Hao’s burial exemplifies elite funerary sacrifice

    Jan 1, 1200 BCELabels: Fu Hao

    • Fu Hao tomb
    • UNESCO

11. Late Shang divination narrows under Di Yi and Di Xin

    Jan 1, 1101 BCELabels: Di Yi, Di Xin

    • Britannica
    • XSZ Project

12. Zhou conquest ends Shang royal ritual system at Yin

    Jan 1, 1046 BCELabels: Zhou conquest, Yin cult

    • Oracle bone
    • XSZ Project

13. Wang Yirong recognizes “dragon bones” as inscriptions

    Jan 1, 1899Labels: Wang Yirong, Dragon bones

    • Oracle bone
    • China Daily

14. Yin Xu inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site

    Jan 1, 2006Labels: Yin Xu, UNESCO site

    • UNESCO