Chinese Oracle Bones and Stem-Branch Calendar
Inscriptions on the oracle bones represent one
of the earliest extant forms of writing in China. Recorded in these inscriptions are
accounts of important national events and the daily life of the royal household in the
late 
Shang dynasty (about 1300 B.C.) The first discovery of oracle bones was in 1899.
During the year 1928 through 1037 nearly 25000 tortoise shells and animal bones were
uncovered in archaeological field at Hsiao-tun village in Honan province, China.
The Shang people created shallow pits on the
undersides of the shells and bones to facilitate the cracking of the material and the
appearance of oracular lines. Inscriptions were then carved on the bones recording the
events for which these divinations were sought. Some pieces may be found inscriptions
dating about five emperors of the late Shang dynasty. Form those pieces, we found the Stem-Branch characters (ex.
red sheep) were using to record the dates.
Visit the following sites to get more information about oracle bones.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Oracle_bone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone