帶卜辭龜腹甲 Inscribed Turtle Plastron (R044284)

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Before divination was performed on turtle shells or animal bones, holes were drilled into their backs. During divination, the holes were burned at those points, causing cracks to appear on the front side in the shape of "卜" characters. The interpretation of these cracks determined whether a situation was auspicious or ominous, and afterwards the diviner would record his interpretations by carving them onto the shell. These carvings are what we call "卜辞". The same question often required multiple divinations from both positive and negative perspectives, resulting in various "正反对貞" divination inscriptions and numerous divination cracks. This particular turtle plastron was discovered at the site of Yin Xu's small tumulus 127, a gray pit where it was found in two pieces. The inscription is comprised of 33 characters written in oracle bone script, some with ink fillings.