Final answer:
The majority of surviving texts from the Shang Dynasty are inscriptions on oracle bones, which formed a part of the divination rituals of the period. These inscribed bones and shells are critical to understanding Shang civilization, as they provide insights into the society's culture and beliefs.
Step-by-step explanation:
Surviving Texts from the Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty is renowned for its contribution to the development of a written script, which is evident through the oracle bones discovered.
These bones served as mediums for divination, and the inscriptions on them make up the majority of the surviving texts from the Shang Dynasty.
This form of pyro-scapulimancy (divination by heating animal bones) was a key ritual in the Shang period, where questions about the future, as well as their outcomes, were recorded in script on bones and shells.
The inscriptions are the ancestors of today's Chinese characters, extending their cultural and historical significance. Due to the fragile nature of materials such as bamboo and silk, which were also used for writing by the Shang, the majority of the preserved texts are from these oracle bones.
The analysis and interpretation of these bones have greatly contributed to our understanding of Shang society, augmenting the archaeological findings of bronze vessels, royal tombs, and other artifacts.
The oracle bone script gave us vital insights into the Shang civilization, since written records from this era are limited and much depends on archaeological evidence.
From the oracle bones, we can glean not only the questions asked by the Shang but occasionally the actual outcomes of the divinations, providing us with a direct link to the thoughts and beliefs of the Shang elite.
It is primarily through these artifacts that historians can piece together knowledge of the Shang culture, government, and belief systems.
The importance of archaeology cannot be overstated in the context of ancient histories like that of the Shang, where written records are sparse.
These findings give us a glimpse into a socially stratified Bronze Age civilization where literacy was reserved for the elite, emphasizing the significance of written records in understanding ancient cultures.