Ancient bone fragment with Chinese oracle bone script writing

King Wu Ding

Shang dynasty ruler (c. 1200 BCE)

Around the time King Wu Ding lived, writing was invented for the first time in China and people started to keep records of special events.

How did ancient Chinese kings predict the future with turtle shells? Why did Shang dynasty king Wu Ding use turtle shells and animal bones to resolve his terrible toothache?

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