A Study of China's Shang Culture as Seen in Oracle-Bone Inscriptions: Centering on Identical Content Inscriptions

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This study deals with identical content from Shang dynasty oracle-bone inscriptions and considers them comprehensively on the basis of a meticulous classification. The identical content of the inscriptions considered in this research refers to records of repeatedly performed pyromancy displaying identical or almost identical characters and meaning. I considered the synchronicity of the inscriptions and examined the shapes and handwriting styles of the characters in regard to each period's specificities by doing a comparative study. I summarized the characteristics of writing manner in the inscriptions and also researched the grammar system. The results of this research were presented at symposia and study meetings in Hong Kong, Nara and Taipei, and collected in a book titled "Oracle-Bone Inscriptions and Shang Religion: Theocracy, Monarchy and Culture".