The bones-cattle scapulae and turtle plastrons-were used in divination ceremonies at the Shang royal court. Oracle bones are inscribed with the earliest known writing in East Asia. Pillsbury (fifty-eight).Ī young Chinese archeologist was working in the library, and I asked if he knew who had written the book. The catalogue included Doris Duke (she had apparently looted nine bronzes), Avery C. For each vessel, the book listed an imperialist collector. The book, published in 1962, contained more than eight hundred photographs of Shang and Zhou bronze vessels (the Shang is one of the most distinctive periods of ancient Chinese metallurgy). But this was the first hint I’d seen of any American involvement, and I took a closer look. Traditionally, the Shang’s downfall has been attributed to dissolute behavior-legends depict the last emperor as a drunk who filled swimming pools with wine. According to conventional history, this region was the capital of the Shang dynasty, which flourished for nearly six centuries before being conquered by the Zhou, around 1045 B.C. In the library of the Anyang Archeological Work Station, the title of a book caught my eye: “Our Country’s Shang and Zhou Bronzes Looted by American Imperialists.” I had travelled to Anyang, a small city in the northern Chinese province of Henan, to study the local antiquities.
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