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Chinese scribes would ask a question such as, If I capture two horses and one snake, will my harvest be great?

The characters for horses and snake would be etched on a shell of a tortoise or a bone and the bone would be subjected to the heat from a metal rod. When the bone would crack, the cracks would run through the characters. A holy man would interpret the cracks to determine what the answer to the question would be.
Oracle Bones are a myth. well, i think they are. The Ancient Chinese believed that they could tell the future and talk to their ancestors by writing on a bone, which were animal shells, (mainly oxen) and turtle shells. Here is how it goes:

1.) The King or emperor tells the priest the question they wish to be answered.

2.) The priest (who is usually a woman) carves the question into an oracle bone.

3.) The priest would then heat a bronze pin and hold it close to the bone.

4.) This created a pattern of cracks over the bone.

5.) The priest will study the cracks made on the bone to find the answer to the question.

thanks for reading! i hope it helped! byee

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What is oracle bones?

oracle bones are bones that ancient shang kings consulted their ancestors. and oracle is a prediction about the future.


Where were oracle bones used to predict the future?

Oracle bones were used in China.


When and where are oracle bones found?

The first modern record of discovery of oracle bones was in China in 1899.


What purpose did oracle bones serve the priests?

The oracle bones helped the priests tell the future.


4 What are oracle bones?

they are bones from dragon


Why were oracle bones invented?

Oracle bones are used for divination chiefly during the late Shang Dynasty.


What were oracle bones and what were they used for?

An oracle bone is a piece of ox or turtle bones which were used by the Chinese for pyromancy.


Why are oracle bones important to ancient china?

Oracle bones were important in China because that was there first paper to write on


What dynasty did oracle bones belong to answers.com?

The Shang Dynasty used the oracle bones from 1500-950 B.C.


What are facts about Chinese oracle bones?

Chinese oracle bones were used for divination. Shang kings of China used Chinese oracle bones to carve questions to ask, from deceased ancestors. They were originally sold as dragon bones for medicine purposes.


Who were oracle bones entrusted to?

Women


Why did priests read oracle bones?

Priests read oracle bones to the king. The oracle answered questions and predicted the future. The oracle would only be available to the king. The king would ask the the priest to read the oracle for him. that is why they read oracles. because the king asked.