Question

Why did shang kings have questions scratched on oracle bones?

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

Shang kings have questions scratched on oracle bones so that their gods and ancestors would guide them in doing the right thing. The king won't make any big decision unless their gods and ancestors are consulted for guidance

Answer 2

Answer:

Explanation:Oracle bones are pieces of ox scapula or turtle plastron, which were used for pyromancy a form of divination in the olden days of China, it is mainly during the late Shang dynasty.The correct term is Scapulimancy and if it were ox, scapulae were usually used for the divination, plastromancy is correct term if it were turtle plastrons.Diviners would submit questions to deities regarding future weather, crop planting, the fortunes of members of the royal family, military endeavors, and other similar topics. These questions were carved onto the bone or shell in oracle bone script usng a sharp object intense heat was then applied with a metal rod until the bone or shell cracked due to thermal expansion. The diviner afterward would then interpret the pattern of cracks and write the prognostication upon the piece as well. This with bones continued in China into the Zhou dynasty, but the questions and prognostications were increasingly written with brushes and cinnabar ink, which degraded over time.

The oracle bones bear the earliest known significant corpus of ancient Chinese writing and contain important historical information such as the complete royal genealogy of the Shang dynasty. When they were discovered and deciphered in the early twentieth century