“Preparing for the Future: Late Shang Dynasty Tortoise Carapaces for Divination”
Exhibition Date: starting Dec 21 (Sat.), 2024
Location: Floor Oracle Bone Room, 1F, MIHP
In the later period of the Shang dynasty (as Shang people called: “Great Settlement Shang”), both the political economy and social culture made significant strides forward. When confronted with the unknown, however, the Shang people relied on divination to communicate with the supernatural and to foretell the future. Tortoise shells and ox scapulae, regarded with spiritual nature, were transformed into oracles through a series of steps including being cut, polished, and drilled or chiseled before they were heated and cracked to answer the charge posed for divination. This exhibition presents material aspects on the preparation of carapaces to highlight their forms and variations.
