Editing Oracle bone (section)

===Materials===
[[File:Shang dynasty inscribed tortoise plastron.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Tortoise plastron with divination inscription]]
The oracle bones are mostly turtle [[plastron]]s, probably female{{efn|{{harvnb|Keightley|1978a|p=9}} – the female shells are smoother, flatter and of more uniform thickness, facilitating pyromantic use.}} and ox scapulae, although there are also examples of tortoise [[carapace]]s, ox rib bones,{{efn|According to {{harvnb|Chou|1976|p=7}}, only four rib bones have been found.}} the scapulae of sheep, boars, horses, and deer, and other various animal bones.{{efn|such as ox [[humerus]] or [[talus bone]].{{sfn|Chou|1976|p=1}}}} The skulls of deer, oxen, and humans have also been found with inscriptions on them,{{efn|{{harvnb|Xu|2002|p=34}} shows a large, clear photograph of a piece of inscribed human skull in the collection of the Institute of History and Philology at the Academia Sinica, Taiwan, presumably belonging to an enemy of the Shang.}} although these are very rare and appear to have been inscribed for record keeping or practice rather than for actual divination;{{sfn|Keightley|1978a|p=7}}{{efn|There appears to be some confusion in published reports between inscribed bones in general, and bones that have actually been heated and cracked for use in divination.}} in one case, inscribed deer antlers were reported, but Keightley reports that they are fake.{{sfn|Keightley|1978a|p=7, note 21}}{{efn|{{harvnb|Xu|2002|p=35}} does show an inscribed deer skull, thought to have been killed by a Shang king during a hunt.}} Interestingly, tortoises are not native to the areas oracle bones were discovered and thus it is theorized they were presented to the region as tribute.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Raven |first=James |title=The Oxford Illustrated History of the Book |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-19-870298-6 |edition=Illustrated}}</ref> Neolithic diviners in China had long been heating the bones of deer, sheep, pigs, and cattle for similar purposes; evidence for this in [[Liaoning]] has been found dating to the late fourth millennium&nbsp;BCE.{{sfn|Keightley|1978a|p=3}} However, over time, the use of ox bones increased, and use of tortoise shells does not appear until early Shang culture. The earliest tortoise shells found that had been prepared for divinatory use (i.e., with chiseled pits) date to the earliest Shang stratum at [[Erligang]] (modern [[Zhengzhou]]).{{sfn|Keightley|1978a|p=8}} By the end of the Erligang, the plastrons were numerous,{{sfn|Keightley|1978a|p=8}} and at Anyang, scapulae and plastrons were used in roughly equal numbers.{{sfn|Keightley|1978a|p=10}} Due to the use of these shells in addition to bones, early references to the oracle bone script often used the term "shell and bone script", but since tortoise shells are actually a bony material, the more concise term "oracle bones" is applied to them as well.

The bones or shells were first sourced and then prepared for use. Their sourcing is significant because some of them (especially many of the shells) are believed to have been presented as tribute to the Shang, which provides valuable information about diplomatic relations of the time. We know this because notations were often made on them recording their provenance (e.g., tribute of how many shells from where and on what date). For example, one notation records that "{{zhi|p=Què}} ({{zhi|c=雀}}) sent 250 (tortoise shells)", identifying this as, perhaps, a statelet within the Shang sphere of influence.{{sfn|Keightley|1978a|p=9}}{{sfn|Xu|2002|p=22}}{{efn|Some cattle scapulae were also tribute.{{sfn|Xu|2002|p=24}}}} These notations were generally made on the back of the shell's bridge (called bridge notations), the lower carapace, or the xiphiplastron (tail edge). Some shells may have been from locally raised tortoises, however.{{efn|{{harvnb|Keightley|1978a|p=12}} mentions reports of Xiǎotún villagers finding hundreds of shells of all sizes, implying live tending or breeding of the turtles onsite.}} Scapula notations were near the socket or a lower edge. Some of these notations were not carved after being written with a brush, proving (along with other evidence) the use of the writing brush in Shang times. Scapulae are assumed to have generally come from the Shang's own livestock, perhaps those used in ritual sacrifice, although there are records of cattle sent as tribute as well, including some recorded via marginal notations.{{sfn|Keightley|1978a|p=11}}