WANG Ying

Three Kinds of Archaic Graphs and their Transitions to Modern Characters. Top Row: Complex single-element graphs whose modern parallels are direct descendants of archaic forms. Middle Row: Simple multiple-element graphs lacking modern equivalents. Bottom Row: Complex multi-element graphs with either modern descendants or equivalents. COURTESY OF PAUL AND BERNICE NOLL.
Initially used by ritual practitioners in prehistoric times as tools of divination, the bones of animals, as well as turtle shells,