7. Why did Shang rulers use oracle bones?(1 point)
Responses
to predict the future
to predict the future
to record laws and official decrees
to record laws and official decrees
to pass down dynastic history
to pass down dynastic history
to teach students how to write
to predict the future
The Shang rulers used oracle bones primarily to predict the future.
To understand why Shang rulers used oracle bones, we need to look into the historical and cultural context of ancient China. Oracle bones were primarily used by the Shang Dynasty, which ruled China from around 1600 BCE to 1046 BCE.
The Shang rulers used oracle bones primarily to predict the future. They believed that the bones, usually from animals like turtles or oxen, had divine powers and could provide insights into the future. The process of divination involved carving questions onto the bones and then heating them until they cracked. The patterns of the cracks were interpreted by diviners, who would provide answers and predictions to the rulers.
Using oracle bones served multiple purposes for the Shang rulers. Firstly, it allowed them to seek guidance on important matters such as military campaigns, agriculture, and weather conditions. This helped them make strategic decisions and maintain control over their territories. Secondly, the predictions provided by the oracle bones gave the rulers a sense of legitimacy and authority, as they were seen as having supernatural connections to the divine.
It's important to note that recording laws and official decrees, passing down dynastic history, and teaching students how to write were not the primary reasons for using oracle bones. While it is true that some inscriptions on the oracle bones contain records of events, such as wars or rituals, their main purpose was divination rather than documentation. The bones were primarily used to seek answers about the future and gain guidance from the spiritual realm.