Gu 觚 (wine vessel),

11th century BCE

The earliest surviving examples of Chinese writing are the inscriptions found on oracle bones and bronze ritual vessels unearthed at the site of the Shang-dynasty capital at Anyang, Henan province (occupied ca. 1250–ca. 1050 BCE). In the inscription cast inside the foot of this tall wine cup, a central column of two undeciphered characters is flanked by mirrored versions of a character whose descendant in the modern Chinese script is ce 冊. The ancient character, which may be translated as “records” or “record-keeper,” depicts a scroll of wood or bamboo slips tied together with string—the surface used for everyday writing in Bronze Age China. The elegantly drawn characters in this bronze inscription appear to be part of an elaborate insignia meant to identify the patron who had the vessel cast, perhaps a scribal official.