Can you solve mystery of oracle bones?
Print Edition
THE National Museum of Chinese Writing is seeking help in deciphering oracle bone inscriptions dating back more than 3,000 years to the Shang Dynasty (16th century-11th century BC).
The museum, in central China’s Henan Province, is offering 100,000 yuan (US$14,779) for each unknown character that is deciphered.
It is also offering 50,000 yuan to anyone who can provide a definitive explanation for a disputed character, according to its website.
Inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones represent the original characters of the Chinese written language.
In 1899, they were discovered engraved on “dragon’s bones,” an ingredient used as a type of traditional Chinese medicine.
So far, around 2,000 characters found on excavated oracle bones have been deciphered. Nearly 3,000 characters remain a mystery.
The museum is also encouraging enthusiasts to use cloud computing and big data along with traditional methods to support their interpretation of a particular character.
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