Scientific Analysis and Conservation of Oracle Bone Excavated in Bokam-ri, Naju

Abstract

In this study, the materialistic characteristics were reviewed based on the conservation treatment and scientific analysis results obtained for the abdominal bones excavated during the 8th excavation survey of the remains of Bokam-ri, Naju. In divination, the animal’s scapula is typically dotted, and the tool used is called the oracle bone. The oracle bone excavated from the no. 6 spherical historical site was artificially damaged during the divination process. Exfoliation and degradation also occurred on the burial environments due to various factors such as earth pressure, freezing, and thawing. In the process of cleaning, an X-ray three-dimensional tomography analysis was performed to estimate the internal shape of the abdominal bone collected from the soil, and mesh-type data were extracted and applied to the preservation process. The data obtained through the 3D scanning process was prepared with a precise measurement drawing. The restored product of the oracle bone and the pedestal were 3D printed based on the modeling data so that they could be used for further research and exhibition. X-ray irradiation and X-ray digital imaging showed that the marks and cracks that were difficult to observe were accurately recorded. To identify the species of scapula used as a material for the oracle bone, the estimated group of mammals was compressed and a sample was produced. Then its morphological comparison was conducted, and it was estimated that the left scapula of a male wild boar was used as a fortune-telling tool.