30. Agricultural Geography in Oracle Inscriptions of the Yin Dynasty

Abstract

This paper provides an outline of the agricultural geography of the Yin (Shang) Dynasty by means of the study of agricultural geographical names in the oracle inscriptions. The agricultural districts of Yin (Shang) were either within the suburbs of the capital, or within the territories that could be directly controlled by Yin, or within the friendly states. Such a study may increase our understanding of the politics and lives of the Yin people.

With this aim in view, I distinguish the agricultural from other oracle inscriptions, dividing them into four classes: (1) used for divining agriculture; (2) used for divining the condition of the harvest; (3) used for divining agricultural damage; and (4) used for divining rituals about agriculture. I have discovered that the agricultural names in (1) and (2) are more frequent than those in (3) and (4).