A Study Of Oracle Bones During Prehistoric Times In The Ganqing Region

The oracle bone is the animal bones of ancient ancestral divination.Using bone divination,with sheep,pigs and cattle scapula as materials,the custom of judging the auspicious signs by observing the grain,originated from the neolithic age,and became popular in the shang dynasty.The Gansu region includes archaeological areas in Gansu,Ningxia,and Qinghai provinces,borders Shanxi province in the east,connects Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the west,borders Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the north,and borders Tibet Autonomous Region in the southwest.The following conclusions are drawn through the classification and arrangement of the unearthed bones in the prehistoric site of the gan-qing area.More than 114 pieces of bone were unearthed from the prehistoric period in gan-qing area.According to the archaeological culture,there are 15 pieces of Majiayao culture,more than 85 pieces of Qijia culture,2 pieces of culture of Siba culture,an unknown quantity of xindian culture,8 pieces of Siwa culture,and 4 Shajing culture.According to the materials of the bone,there were more than 76 pieces of scapular bone in sheep in Gansu province,20 pieces of scapular bone in pigs,5 pieces of bovine scapular bone,and 2 pieces of scapular bone in the Ningxia region.These bones were found mainly in the ash pit(8 sites),followed by burial sites(3 sites)and houses(2 sites).The characteristic of the bone is simple to regulate,generally unretreatable,using the original natural scapula material,and only a few of the bones are slightly modified,with slight scraping marks.During the Majiayao Culture period,it was generally used directly to burn,no drilling and no chiseling,and the number of burned marks was small;during the Qijia period,both the positive and negative sides began to burn,and there were still bones at the bone ridges.There was no drilling and no cutting.However,the number of burn marks has increased;the subsequent Siba culture,Xindian culture,Siwa culture,and Shajing culture period began to appear as drilling,chiseling,as well as drilling,chiselling,and cauterization.Through the analysis of the relationship with the cultural bones in the adjacent areas,we compared the prehistoric bones in the Ganqing region with those in Inner Mongolia and Shanxi,and explored the relationship between the prehistoric bones in the Ganqing region and archeological cultures in the same period in these regions.It is concluded that the time of prehistoric bone formation in the Ganqing area was relatively early,which had a certain impact on the surrounding areas.Due to the differences in geographical environment,climate,and lifestyle,the bone material is not the same as the surrounding area;the drilling and cautery morphologies are similar.In addition,this paper discusses the related problems of the oracle bones of the background and origin,worship and primitive religion,which is of great significance for the study of the origin of Chinese civilization,to promote the research of Oracle research and ancient religious ideas of culture.Although the Ganqing region is in the marginal zone relative to the Central Plains,it is the gateway to the northwestern border of China,even Central Asia and West Asia.It plays an important role in the ancient Silk Road and confirms Ganqing area is one of the important origins of the Chinese civilization.