Story + Game Lab: Oracle Bones & China's Earliest Writing

Catalog description

This innovative course bridges traditional and digital humanities through an interdisciplinary study of oracle bones—ancient artifacts used for ritual divination during China's Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1045 BCE). These relics bear the earliest known form of writing in East Asia, forming the foundation of written Chinese, influencing numerous other languages in the region, and offering invaluable insights into the origins of Chinese civilization. By combining traditional scholarship with digital humanities and game design, the course offers a unique exploration of the intersection between ancient history, culture, linguistics, and modern technology.