Oracle Bone Inscription - Hoping for a Bumper Harvest
Some of the earliest examples of Chinese characters are found engraved on ox bones and turtle shells. This
calligraphy form is often called "shell and bone." The writing served to record the divinations made for the court.
While most of the inscriptions date from the later period of the Shang dynasty, the writing is clearly advanced
and must have developed earlier. The shells and bones give us a look at the culture since they record
predictions made about crops, the economy, politics, as well as personal success or failure.
Wuyi and Wending period (武乙，文丁期 )
Shang Dynasty (about 1766 BC to 1050 BC)

http://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/SMcalligraphy/index.html
(c) Marilyn Shea, 2006, 2007