The Shang and Chinese language

The rulers during Sthis Dynasty believed in the god and ghost. Whenever they took up a task, they felt the need to predict their fortune by seeing the shape of the cracks on burned tortoise shells or bones. The prediction dates, person's names, affairs predicted and even the results were all carved on the tortoise shells or animal bones. The Oracle Stone Inscriptions were first found in 1899 by a merchant called Wang Xirong. Due to a flood at the time, many stones and tortoise shells were dashed out from a village in Anyang, Henan Province (the place where Yin - the capital city of Shang - is situated). People at that time mistook them as some dragon bones used as medicinal materials. However, Wang Xinrong found strange patterns carved on them and collected. After much research, numerous characters were found.