Museum Updates
Oracle Bone No 2172 from Yinxu site
Updated: Jul 13, 2026
China Bound
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At the Yinxu Museum in Anyang, Henan province, one oracle bone stands out from the rest. Known as Oracle Bone No 2172 discovered at the Xiaotun South site in 1973, this broken ox shoulder blade bears 11 inscriptions with 93 Chinese characters, recording divinations carried out over 38 days to ask whether the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) king's hunting expedition would be safe.
Its shape even resembles the oracle bone script for "bone" (骨), making it a representative symbol that's appeared on commemorative stamps and in history textbooks.
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