Archaeologists have discovered new forms of the first known Chinese characters including an unusual human skull.

The discovery was part of the latest research on a number of ancient tortoise shells as well as inscribed animal bones. Archaeologists announced the discovery on Thursday, reported state news agency Xinhua.

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Archaeologists found two Chinese characters, Gou and Shou, in their earliest forms. They also unearthed extraordinary tortoise shells with military tokens. This was according to Chinese Academy of Social Sciences researcher, Song Zhenhao.

Song said that the tortoise shell measured 48 centimeters in length. Along with this discovery, researchers also found human skull oracle bones which were reported to be exceptional. The oracle bone recorded a sacrifice ritual, he announced at a speaking engagement in Shandong Province’s capital, Jinan.

The discovery was made possible through a joint research and conservation project between the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Shandong Museum.

The joint project was started in December and would last four to five years. Since then, the research staff has already handled 7,541 tortoise shells and inscribed animal bones.

Shandong Museum is among the most significant institutions that conduct research regarding animal oracle bones. The museum has a 10,588 collection of tortoise shells and inscribed animal bones.

Oracle bones were first excavated in the ruins of the Yin, the ancient name of the Shang Dynasty, in Anyang during the late 19th century. Anyang was then the capital of the Shang Dynasty which dates back to 1600 BC to 1046 BC.

In 2006, the location was listed among the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

In 2013, a discovery of a 5,000 year old primitive writing was also found in eastern China. The markings found on axes resembled the modern Chinese character. Furthermore, the discovery of the Chinese character was said to have been 1,400 years older than the oldest known writing discovered.

TagsChinese Characters, early writings, oracle bones, UNESCO, Shang Dynasty