What Was the Importance of Divination in the Maintenance of Authority

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The Answer is During the Shang dynasty (1766-1045 BCE), rulers relied on a technique of divination using oracle bones to contact their ancestors. Holes were drilled into either an ox bone or a turtle shell, and then a hot pointed stick made cracks that were "read" by skilled interpreters. Divination was important because ancestor spirits were believed able to intercede on behalf of humans with the supreme god Di, and the hierarchy of spirits in the heavenly realm mirrored the social hierarchy of humans on earth. A powerful ruler could therefore call on powerful ancestors and use them to protect his people, and this helped legitimize the Shang leader's authoritarian rule.

What Was the Importance of Divination in the Maintenance of Authority

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What Was the Importance of Divination in the Maintenance of Authority

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