甲骨文 (Oracle bone script)

Ancient Chinese characters found on 甲骨文 (Oracle bone script) were constructed from animal bones or turtle shells used as part of divination during the Bronze Age of China. The royal family used it to divine and chronicle their experiences.

The first record was dated by Anyang examples in 1200-1050 BCE.  

The oracle bone scripts of the late Shang dynasty constitute the earliest significant corpus of Chinese writing, which is essential for the study of Chinese etymology, as Shang writing is directly ancestral to the modern Chinese script.