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An example of the ancient script embedded in China's 'oracle bones.'
(Photo: BabelStone/Wikimedia)
If deciphering ancient characters is something that comes easily to you, a museum in China is willing to pay handsomely for your services.
The South China Morning Post is reporting that the National Museum of Chinese Writing in Anyang has issued a worldwide appeal for assistance in cracking the meaning behind engraved characters on its collection of "oracle bones." Dating back more than 3,000 years to the Shang dynasty, these bones mark some of the earliest examples of pyromancy, or divination by means of fire.
An ancient form of soothsaying
Oracle bones were used during the Shang dynasty (1600 to 1046 B.C.) to foretell future events such as weather, the success of military campaigns, and personal fortunes. The bones were prepared by cleaning them of meat and then scraping or smoothing them to create a flat surface. Anointed with blood, they were engraved with a date, the diviner (sometimes even the Shang king himself served in this role), and the topic of the divination. After being exposed to intense heat in a pit, the bones would crack and the diviner would interpret these cracks for answers.
https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-c...nt-bone-riddle