2019.11.06 Prof. Chen Kuang Yu

Distinguished Professor

Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Rutgers University

Profile

Oracle Bone Inscriptions – A Pivotal Link in Building Chinese Civilization

Jiaguwen 甲骨文 was discovered 120 years ago by Wang Yirong 王懿榮 in 1899. The term Jiaguwen 甲骨文 (Oracle bone inscriptions, OBI) refers to scripts engraved on oracle bones, mostly for divination and events recording. Hundreds of thousands of oracle bones have been unearthed during the last century. The inscriptions represent not only the earliest known Chinese writing system but also the oldest extant documents concerning various aspects of the Shang royal house, from sacrificial rituals to wars. Shang OBI brought the legendary Shang Dynasty from a foggy mist into a historical reality; It provides the crucial link that allows us to trace the origin and to examine the development of Chinese writing system and it is pivotal for tracing the origin and development of Chinese civilization, from the time of Yu and Xia till modern time. The first part of my talk will use some OBI rubbing samples to illustrate these points. The second part discusses my recent work on OBI, including the chemistry of pigments used in the engraved grooves of oracle shells and bones.