What was the purpose of oracle bones in the Shang Dynasty?

• A. To measure rainfall.
• B. To worship the sun.
• C. To record military campaigns.
• D. To communicate with ancestors and predict the future; evidenced early Chinese writing.

Answer: (D)

Communicating with ancestors to guide future events was the central idea behind oracle bones in the Shang Dynasty. Priests carved questions onto bones or turtle shells, heated them until cracks formed, and then interpreted those cracks to obtain answers about matters the king cared about—such as weather, harvests, or military matters. The inscriptions left on the bones record the questions and, sometimes, the outcomes, showing a ritual practice built around seeking divine guidance and predicting the future to inform decisions at the royal level. These bones also carry some of the earliest Chinese writing, so they provide crucial evidence not only about Shang beliefs and state concerns but also about the development of Chinese characters. While records could mention campaigns or other events, the primary purpose was to obtain divinatory insight from ancestors to steer the future.