A university team in China recently completed the high-definition digitization of 542 ancient oracle bone inscriptions held in European museums. This China oracle bone digitization project marks a major step in preserving these cultural treasures in their original homeland.
The team from Anyang Normal University in Henan Province leads the effort. Anyang is famous as the birthplace of oracle bones, making this China oracle bone digitization especially meaningful. Most of the inscriptions, 485 in total, come from the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, Germany. The rest are located in museums across France.
Liu Yongge directs the oracle bone script information processing laboratory at Anyang Normal University. He explained that the team now works on creating detailed digital models of the inscriptions. Soon, these digital versions will become available worldwide through an AI research platform.
Additionally, Liu mentioned that the team is in talks with museums in Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium. They hope to digitally preserve even more oracle bone inscriptions from these countries. This will broaden access to this ancient Chinese script and help protect it for future generations.
Oracle bone script, known as Jiaguwen, represents one of the earliest forms of Chinese writing. Ancient people carved these characters onto tortoise shells and animal bones. Jiaguwen contains the oldest fully developed Chinese characters discovered so far.
More than 160,000 oracle bone inscriptions have been found at the Yinxu ruins in Anyang. However, these artifacts are now scattered across many institutions both within China and internationally. By digitally preserving oracle bone inscriptions abroad, China strengthens connections with its cultural heritage worldwide.
This digital preservation project demonstrates how modern technology supports the protection of ancient history. Moreover, it allows researchers and the public across the globe to explore China’s early writing system without risking damage to the original artifacts.
In summary, China’s digitization of ancient oracle bone inscriptions abroad highlights the country’s commitment to cultural heritage preservation. The work by Anyang Normal University ensures these valuable pieces of history remain accessible and protected. The team’s ongoing efforts promise even greater digital access to oracle bone script collections in the near future.
