Royal hunts, sacrifices, and gifts: on the interpretation of a special group of Shang inscriptions

Abstract

The article examines a group of non-oracle bone inscriptions from the late Shang Dynasty, characterized in Chinese paleography as “special inscriptions recording events” (特殊記事刻辭). This group contains nine inscriptions carved on different types of animal bones, which consist of formulaic expressions referring to the Shang king and commemorating royal hunts, sacrifices to ancestral rulers, and gifts bestowed by the king upon his subjects. The research material includes the bone recovered in 2005 from tomb M11 of a high-ranking official in Anyang, the so-called “Zai Feng bone” (宰丰骨) in the National Museum of China, and a bone fragment from tomb M701 in Anyang only recently noticed by paleographers. Approaching these inscribed bones from the perspective of object biography reveals their individual life histories, the relationships among them, and confirms the existence of a particular commemorative tradition, focused on the king, that existed among the late Shang elite. The article clarifies the content of these inscriptions based on Liu Zhao’s interpretations and recent paleographic ideas, and discusses different symbolic meanings which the inscribed bones acquired in their lives. The meanings can be described as an “auspicious sign” (祥瑞), a sacrificial offering, and a royal gift. It is argued that different types of bones (ribs, shoulder blades, skulls, and astragali) were treated differently, in the sense that their natural shape allowed for different types of ritual objects intended for different purposes. The archaeological context suggests that ribs and shoulder blades, such as those found in tomb M11 and tomb M701, or the “Zai Feng bone”, were transformed into elaborately decorated ladles (si 柶) and presented as royal gifts which enhanced the prestige of their owners in life and accompanied them in the grave to the afterlife. By analyzing this epigraphic material, the article proposes to regard these inscribed artifacts as valuable sources of ancient thought and ritual practices of the first historically known dynasty of China.

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