Editor's note: Confirmed by historic documents, archaeological excavations and oracle bone inscriptions as the capital site of the late Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), Yinxu or the Yin Ruins is usually regarded as the cornerstone of the project on tracing the origins of Chinese civilization launched by China in 2001. As a key component of world civilization, it has provided solid evidence for the continuity and pluralistic and integrated pattern of Chinese civilization, bringing recorded Chinese history nearly 1,000 years earlier than previously believed. Starting on October 25, we are launching a series of videos about Yinxu to help you gain a deeper understanding of it. Here is the fourth episode: Oracle Bone Pit - The Earliest Library and Archive in China.
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On 12 June, 1936, the No. YH127 oracle bone pit was discovered during the 13th excavation at Yinxu. The pit is evenly shaped and contains over 17,000 pieces of oracle bones, the largest number of oracle bones ever unearthed at Yinxu, providing scholars studying oracle bone inscriptions and Shang Dynasy a wealth of valuable materials. Its discovery is of great significance for studying oracle bone inscriptions. Writing is the most important carrier of civilization. The No. YH127 pithas greatly enriched the materials of oracle bone inscription study and brought the study of ancient Chinese characters to a peak. Therefore, the No. YH127 pit is widely known as "China's earliest oracle bone archive" and "Shang people's storehouse of textual treasures" . It is really a miracle in the history of oracle bone inscription study.
