From ancient times to the present, the evolution of human development is inseparable from the emergence of information symbols development and evolution. In the early days of human society, the ancestors were forced to record the numbers and events of the invention of the earliest methods of record-keeping knotted rope, rock paintings and engraved symbols of record-keeping. After the invention of these methods of record-keeping, some symbols or images of record-keeping were fixed. For example, some geometric ornaments and some simple carvings were created and given special meanings, and some carvings also entered the belief system of human beings because of their significance and became the bright symbols that illuminate the soul.

Sand scene of making pots in primitive society

When it comes to engraved symbols, we have to mention the oracle bone inscriptions. Oracle bone writing is the writing used to record divination phenomena or explain divination phenomena engraved on tortoise shells and animal bones during the Yin and Shang dynasties. As we all know, the oracle bone inscriptions were unearthed in Xiaotun Village, Anyang, Henan Province, and were first discovered in 1898 by Wang Yirong, a priest of the Imperial College of the Qing Dynasty. In the later excavation and research process, it was found that the oracle bone inscriptions were already a fairly mature writing system, and as for the age of the oracle bone inscriptions, it is now roughly determined to be the period from Pan Geng of the Shang Dynasty to the demise of Yin Zhou, i.e., the middle of the 14th century to the middle of the 11th century BCE. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 4,500 oracle bone inscriptions*** found, and about 2,000 of them have been successfully interpreted, which will certainly change with the deepening of archaeological research and the development of artificial intelligence.

Qijia culture carved symbol jar

Many people know, for general articles or books, which appears in different words is almost between 3000 to 5000 words (because writing articles or books will appear a large number of high frequency of use of some of the words, such as the ancient books on the "the, the, the, the, the, also" modern books on the "the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the" and the "the, the". " in ancient books, and "者、了、过" in modern books). The fact that such a sophisticated writing system existed as early as the Yin and Shang Dynasties, more than 3,000 years ago, is undoubtedly a very significant discovery.

Oracle Bones

From where the melon is sweet, from where the vinegar is sour. The emergence of all things in the world must go through a process of germination - prototype - development - perfection", and as a human created the information As a symbol created by mankind, the oracle bone writing is even more so. About oracle bones, many experts and scholars firmly believe that oracle bones will not appear out of thin air, before the oracle bones must have a long history of the development process.

Qijia culture engraved charm jar

"Shangshu - Doshi" said: "but Yin ancestors, there are books and codes, Yin Ge Xia life." From this record we can see that the ancestors of the founders of the Yin Shang dynasty as early as the destruction of the Xia dynasty has its own text, and already has a very perfect record of the rules and regulations of the text, so in the merchants to destroy the Xia merchants of the text workers to speak of this big event recorded in the canonical book on top of the records of the history of the Yin Ge Xia life. However, to date, although the archaeological community has been relentless in the pursuit of exploration, but still have not found enough evidence to prove that the evidence related evidence.

Petroglyphs

There are three reasons, one, the level of oracle bone deciphering limitations, some oracle bones on the inscription of the text can not be decrypted; two, after more than 3,000 years, the merchant's capital has been destroyed in the war and the vicissitudes of life, the present archaeologists have been very difficult to archaeological excavations to find that year's record of the historical events of the Shang dynasty of the canonical books; three, according to the history of the past, the canonical books are very likely to be in the Zhou king's destruction of the Shang Dynasty, and then burned them all.

Qijia culture carved symbols

Of course, the above three points are speculative, but archaeological excavations have found that long before the appearance of oracle bones, a large number of prehistoric archaeological artifacts on the body of the body, there are a lot of "engraved text". Undoubtedly, these prehistoric civilization engraved symbols must be and oracle bone writing has a close relationship. Whether these inscribed symbols can provide a lineage for the development of the Chinese writing system is still being explored. Undoubtedly, these "inscribed characters" have given us a glimpse into the development of Chinese characters. So let's explore some of the symbols that appeared on various artifacts in prehistoric civilizations.

Modern petroglyphs in stone

Many artifacts from prehistoric civilizations have been painted, carved, or molded with symbols of special significance. Many of these figures were not derived from natural objects, but were elaborate artistic creations. Among these geometric motifs, the polygonal star motif has received special attention. What the ancestors first created may be only simple fork symbols, intertwined straight lines or curves, and later appeared more regular geometric shapes of triangles and quadrangles, and on the basis of the triangles and quadrangles there are derived from more horns. But whether they are forked symbols, straight lines, curved lines, triangles, quadrangles, pentagrams, or hexagrams, octagrams, or dodecagrams, they are given different meanings by different groups of people in different regions, and they become very important members of the symbolic system.

Oracle bone inscriptions on stone by modern people

On Neolithic pottery, a special kind of polygonal decorative pattern is seen, either incised or painted, depicting an eight-pointed star, which has a peculiar, strict, rigorous, symmetrical and balanced composition. Even with modern eyes, it looks like hidden subtlety and great elegance. So it makes many researchers puzzled. The eight-pointed star pattern first appeared 8,000 years ago, and it has left its mark on many cultures; it is a mystery that keeps people guessing.

Bone carvings have been deciphered on the upper right "phoenix" character

Of course, in the many eight-pointed star pattern of cultural relics, the most mysterious and attention-grabbing is when the two jade artifacts were found at the Lingjiatan site in Anhui Province, Henshan, China. Many Neolithic jade artifacts have been unearthed at this site, and among them are two jade artifacts engraved with an eight-pointed star pattern. One is a flaky jade plate with a large circle carved in the middle of the plate and a smaller circle carved in the middle of the circle, with an eight-pointed star pattern carved in the center. The other is an eagle-shaped ornament, with a circle engraved in the position of the eagle's chest, and another eight-pointed star engraved within the circle.

Lingjiatan Octagonal Star Jade Ornament

Lingjiatan Octagonal Star Eagle Jade Ornament

The Lingjiatan Octagonal Star Eagle Jade Ornament has attracted much attention. This jade ornament is regarded as the emblem of the sun god of the Lingjiatan people, which is in the shape of an eagle bird flying with its wings spreading, with its wings changing into the shape of an animal's head, which adds a lot of godly power to it. The myth is that the sun bird carries the sun from the east to the west, and it seems that such a jade carving can be regarded as an illustration of the myth of the sun bird.

Lingjiatan Eight-Pointed Star Eagle Jade Ornament

Of course, the most mysterious part of this jade is the eight-pointed star pattern in the center of the jade. According to the principle of the yang bird and yin toad, some people say that the eight-pointed star pattern in this artifact is the symbol of the sun. This kind of eight-pointed star as the symbol of the sun god is also the ancient Aztecs in America. And the ancient Aztecs of the Americas also have an eight-pointed eye idol, so you can see that the octagonal pattern can really not be a simple pattern.

Majiayao culture pottery decoration

Some people say: the octagonal star pattern that is the early gossip, some minorities will be gossip called "octagonal", their clothing is also decorated with prehistoric times exactly the same octagonal star pattern. There is also said: with the octagonal pattern of the jade plate is the ancient "Hetu Luoshu". There is also a view that the octagonal pattern was used by the ancients to observe the hours of the sun to mark their orientation. Some even say that the octagonal pattern is a symbol of the original loom. There is also with the development of modern physics, scientists have found that we see the smallest molecular structure of things is a tetrahedron; can not see the smallest molecular structure of things is also a tetrahedron. The four corners of the apparent plus the four corners of the hidden, a *** eight corners ......

Molecular Structure Model

The author believes that the eight-pointed star graphic, is the early human awareness of the orientation and differentiation of the form of scientific expression, which distinguishes on the world from the world to the earth, is a relatively complete cosmological system. The establishment of this system, affecting the later generations, also affects today, you should know the "four sides", "eight sides" such words, their origin, is rooted in the octagonal star ornamentation, octagonal should be the space-time coordinates of human orientation.

Prehistoric petroglyphs

So, no matter how you look at it, the eight-pointed star pattern is an important message revealed by the ancient times. Although people thought they had understood its meaning, interpretations of it have often been so tit-for-tat that it remains a mystery. Perhaps it does have something to do with solar observation, but now is not the time to draw final conclusions.

Pottery human face from the Qijia culture