Oracle bones and writing

The Shang Dynasty created the first form of Chinese writing in which characters were used to represent words and ideas. The most detailed examples of this writing exist on oracle bones because they have survived longer than silk or bamboo. Questions were carved into them and then the bones were heated, causing cracks which diviners would interpret. Oracle bones were carved with questions about many subjects such as the weather, harvests, and Shang Dynasty rulers. The oracle bones have provided a wealth of evidence for historians about many aspects of the Shang Dynasty.