China Unearthed Shang Oracle Bones Again, 104 Years Later of First Discovery. From the People's Daily:
China recently unearthed again oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty (c. 16th-11th century B.C.) in Daxinzhuang Shang ruins, more than 100 years later of the nation's first discovery of inscribed animal bones and tortoise shells in Anyang City of central China's Henan Province.
This time's excavation area is located at the south-east of Daxinzhuang ruins, and 30 "tanfang" (artificial pits in dimension of 10*10 meter or 5*5 meter, as a method in archaeological works) were excavated, said professor Fang Hui of archaeological department of Shandong University at a news briefing on April 8, who is charge of the excavation work.
The inscribed bones found this time are from four "tanfang" of Shang culture layers. Eight pieces carrying Chinese characters have been sorted out, four of them could be pieced together into a whole page, including 25 characters. They have been confirmed, through the shape of bones, character and grammar, to belong to the same group of inscriptions unearthed in Anyang City a century ago. [continue]
From travelchina.com, here's some background information about oracle bones and the script used to write on them:
Oracle Script is an ancient script carved on tortoise shells or animal bones. Having emerged during the Shang Dynasty (BC 1600-1000), Oracle Script is considered the oldest script in China.
During the Shang Dynasty, the ancients reckoned the natural elements as the exertion of some mystical power. When there were floods, drought, lightening and thunder, or some big events, like royal hunts, journeys and military campaigns, through divination, ancients would predict the future by "reading" the messages of nature. The divination performer first drilled holes on tortoise shell or a piece of bull scapula, then put it over fire. Since the shell or bone would crack irregularly under heat, the diviner could supposedly interpret these cracks as good or bad omen. All the dates and results of the divination were written down on the shells or animal bones, which became the earliest historical document with writing symbols. [continue]
Related links:
Ancient China's Shang Dynasty's oracle bones found in Shandong Province
Shang Dynasty Oracle Bones
Oracle bones
Photo of an oracle bone
Oracle bone with photo and translation
Oracle bone script