Cracking bones and numbers: solving the enigma of numerical sequences on ancient Chinese artifacts

Numerous recent discoveries in China of ancient tombs have greatly increased our knowledge of ritual and religious practices. These discoveries include excavated oracle bones, bronze, jade, stone and pottery objects, and bamboo manuscripts dating from the twelfth to fourth century Inscribed upon the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inArchive for history of exact sciences Vol. 74; no. 4; pp. 313 - 343
Main Authors Bréard, Andrea, Cook, Constance A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Berlin/Heidelberg Springer 01.07.2020
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Springer Nature B.V
Springer Verlag
Subjects
Algorithms
Archaeology
Astronomy
Bamboo
Bones
Historic artifacts
History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics
History of Mathematical Sciences
History of Science
Humanities and Social Sciences
Mathematics
Mathematics and Statistics
Observations and Techniques
Philosophy of Science
Pottery
Sequences
China
01A25
11-03
60-03
62P99
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Summary:Numerous recent discoveries in China of ancient tombs have greatly increased our knowledge of ritual and religious practices. These discoveries include excavated oracle bones, bronze, jade, stone and pottery objects, and bamboo manuscripts dating from the twelfth to fourth century Inscribed upon these artifacts are a large number of records of numerical sequences, for which no explanation has been found of how they were produced. Structural links to the Book of Changes, a divination manual that entered the Confucian canon, are evident; yet, the algorithm described therein dates to the slightly later second to first century By combining archeological and statistical evidence, we propose a new methodology that enables us to reconstruct and test cleromantic techniques which can explain how these numerical sequences were generated. Dice and divination stalk use, either in combination or separately, appear in fact to have been underlying the rather stable numerical patterns in ancient China all the way back to the late Shang dynasty (1300-1046 BCE). from the ever-growing database of newly discovered numerical and textual records, can change drastically our understanding of early Chinese history and of the historical development of sophisticated arithmetical practices and the rationalization of chance.
ISSN:0003-9519
1432-0657
DOI:10.1007/s00407-019-00245-9