Oracle Bone Script Characters - Early Chinese Writing System #1430988 (License: Personal Use)

This image displays twelve oracle bone script characters from China’s Shang Dynasty (c. 1250-1046 BCE), carved on turtle shells or animal bones for divination. Each glyph is highly pictographic, reflecting early attempts to represent natural phenomena and concepts-such as the sun (☉), moon (☽), water (氵), rain (雨), and wood/tree (木). These inscriptions form the foundation of modern Chinese writing and offer invaluable insight into Bronze Age language, religion, and society.

Used in educational, historical, or linguistic web pages about early Chinese civilization, writing systems, or archaeology; targets users researching ancient scripts, comparative linguistics, or East Asian history.