Chapter 422: World Shocked! The Unacknowledged Xia Dynasty! Confirmed! (1)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Is this object a human skull cap?”
“It does seem to resemble a skull!”
“Host, you should discard it immediately. Why do you insist on keeping it?
Aren’t you concerned about bad luck?”
“Absolutely, it’s horrifying! A skull cap!”
“Which dynasty does this burial pit belong to? They seem to have dismembered bodies, even decapitated them?”
Luo Feng gestured towards the patterns on the turtle shell and chuckled, “This belongs to the Shang Dynasty!”
“The Shang Dynasty?”
“From the Xia, Shang, Zhou period?”
“Really?!”
Upon mentioning this ancient epoch, the livestream audience was instantly captivated and intrigued.
Luo Feng, brandishing the turtle shell, explained, “You’re unaware of such an emblematic artifact? This artifact hails from a time preceding the Shang Dynasty!”
Given that virtually no one recognized this somber item, Luo Feng said in mild exasperation, “This is a turtle shell, not a human skull cap. Consequently, the inscriptions on it are in oracle bone script!”
The term “oracle bone script” sparked intense excitement as soon as it left Luo Feng’s lips.
Undeniably.
Everyone was hooked.
In Chinese history, there are a handful of artifacts you may never have seen, but once mentioned, they are instantly recognizable. Their renown is universal, familiar to every household.
The oracle bone script is one such artifact.
The prominence and significance of oracle bone script overshadow that of the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion and the existence of the Yongle Canon.
Its high standing is primarily attributed to its uniqueness to an era over three thousand six hundred years ago.
We, as humans, have scant knowledge about China from that period. Thus, the discovery of oracle bone script is pivotal for historical research.
“There is no ancient tomb here!”
Luo Feng’s statement jolted everyone from their amazement.
“What? How could there be no tomb?” “You’ve discovered oracle bone script and yet you claim that there’s no tomb?”
“Indeed! Goodness, the Shang Dynasty?”
“I just checked – the oracle bone script first appeared over three thousand years ago. How has it survived this long?”
Luo Feng explained, “Oracle bone script is a form of divination script. In essence, it was used to record divinatory practices.”
“I’m aware of that, but there are historical uncertainties!” Su Meiji interjected,
“Whether oracle bone script was truly used for that purpose is just a speculative assumption, it hasn’t been proven!”
“That’s not plausible, if they had invented writing, why would they only use it for divination? Wouldn’t they utilize it in their daily lives?” Qin Rubing countered.
“I believe divination was just a fraction of it. They likely employed it in their everyday lives as well?” Li Shishi suggested.
Luo Feng shook his head, “You’re still missing my point. Of course, they would have used writing in their daily lives, but could writings not inscribed on oracle bones have survived?”
“Writings from over three thousand six hundred years ago could endure because they were engraved on turtle shells, on animal bones. That’s why they’re referred to as oracle bone script.”
“To sum it up, the writings of that era weren’t necessarily reserved for divination, but only those utilized for divination were able to be preserved!”
As Luo Feng further examined the turtle shell, he stated, “Considering the characteristics of oracle bone script, the emergence of oracle bone script is invariably associated with bodies. These bodies were not interred in human burials, and there are no ancient tombs. They were merely sacrificial offerings!”
Luo Feng stood, surveying the treasure site within a kilometer’s radius, and added, “This vicinity was a ceremonial ground in the past, and it witnessed incredibly large-scale sacrificial rites.”
“Oh my god, did they slaughter people for sacrifices? Was the Shang Dynasty really that ruthless?”
Luo Feng replied, “Such was the norm prior to the Shang Dynasty. During that period, people were highly superstitious, seeking divine guidance for matters great and small. From predicting rainfall, to forecasting bountiful harvests, to planning pregnancies and hunting expeditions, divination was integral.”
“In essence, during that time, the stature of spirits and deities was paramount, superseding even the king. Furthermore, people were ranked in classes; during the Shang Dynasty, most of those sacrificed were Qiang people! The Shang people didn’t regard them as equals but treated them as livestock!”
Luo Feng, scrutinizing the human bones in the soil, deduced, “If my conjecture is accurate, these remains should belong to the Qiang people.”
Living in a society where deity worship was of utmost importance, you would have been fortunate not to have been born a Qiang person.
For not only were you subjected to labor exploitation, but you were also at risk of being slain for sacrificial rites to propitiate the gods.
Human life was considered inferior to beasts, a concept common in ancient times but one that escalated prior to the Shang Dynasty.
Having surveyed the area, Luo Feng now had a rudimentary understanding of the situation.
The lowest stratum was a sacrificial site from the local Shang Dynasty, where Qiang people were slain and even dismembered for rituals.
The scale was staggering.
Though it was yet to be fully excavated, preliminary estimates suggest that the remains of at least a thousand individuals, alongside numerous animals, were present.
This magnitude of sacrifice was either in homage to ancestors.
Or a sacrificial offering before warfare.
The upper stratum presumably represents an early Zhou Dynasty sacrifice.
After all, during the mid-to-late Zhou Dynasty, they gradually renounced the barbaric practice of human sacrifice in their worship of the heavens..
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