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Chinese archaeologists discovered oracle bones outside Anyang, central China's Henan province, the site of similar finds, said Li Xueqin, China's chief professor of Sang Dynasty research.
Archaeologists had found eight oracle bones in Daxinzhuang of Shandong province, about 200 kilometers from Anyang. Four of them carried about 25 of the earliest-known Chinese characters, which belonged to the same system as those unearthed in Anyang, said Fang Hui, professor of Shandong University.
So far, thousands of inscribed bones and tortoise shells had been discovered in Anyang, but Chinese archaeologists had not discovered the similar bones outside Anyang before, said Li.
The new discovery would help to understand the political and social institutions, especially the relationship between the capital and subordinate cities in Shang Dynasty.
The famous inscribed animal bones and tortoise shells, known asoracle bones, were first found in 1899 in Anyang. The bones and shells dating back to the Shang Dynasty were confirmed that they carry the earliest-known examples of Chinese characters.
The excavation of Daxinzhuang site is still under way.
(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2003)
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