Ritual Role of Mountains in the Shang Dynasty

Abstract

The two major groups of primary sources deriving from the Shang 商 dynasty are that of bronze vessels and oracle bones. The inscriptions preserved on the latter predominantly offer an insight into the religious realm of this early Chinese dynasty: offerings were directed to the pre-dynastic and dynastic ancestors of the royal lineage, as well as to various divine representatives of nature. The inscriptions, among others, attest to the cult of a mountain peak (yue 岳). The present study explores the inscriptions related to this early mountain cult, and attempts to clarify certain emerging problems.