Chinese Archaeology 14 (2014): 155-169 © 2014F. Zhu: by Walter The relationship de Gruyter, between Inc. · Boston the Shang · Berlin. and DOI the 10.1515/char-2014-0017 ethnic groups on the Northern Frontiers 155 The relationship between the Shang and the ethnic groups on the Northern Frontiers as reflected in the northern-style bronzes unearthed in Yinxu Site and they are usually rather complete in composition, most * Fenghan Zhu of them consisting of the four parts of preface (qianci 前 辞 ), charge (mingci 命辞 ), prognostication (zhanci 占 * Center for Research on Ancient Chinese History, Peking 辞 ) and verification (yanci 验辞 ). This kind of oracle University, Beijing 100871. bone inscriptions belongs to the Bin group (binzu 宾组 ) Email: zhufenghanbd@126. com. and thus dates to the middle of the reign of King Wu Ding (1250–1192 BCE). Abstract In a first step, I am choosing 11 oracle bone inscriptions from Yinxu whose dates are undisputed (Figure 1). They Through an analysis of oracle bone inscriptions relating all describe events taking place between guiwei ( 癸 to attacks on the northern and western borders of the 未 , i.e., the 20th) and jisi ( 己巳 , i.e., the 6th day of the Shang Kingdom by various ethnic groups living in the sexagenary cycle), a period comprising 47 days and thus Northern Frontier Zone, this paper suggests that the stretching over two months. These two months during members of northern chiefdoms such as the Qiong Fang, which the prognostications were performed comprise the Tu Fang, or Fang Fang mainly lived in the mountainous fifth and the sixth months. areas of present-day western and northwestern Shanxi, The time during which the prognostications were northeastern Shaanxi, and northern Hebei Provinces. The made falls into the late Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 paper analyzes the characteristics of northern frontier- BCE). When referring to the ethnic groups that attacked style bronzes unearthed from this region and suggests the Shang domain from all sides, the oracle bone to which cultures they may have belonged. Based on inscriptions mostly use the term “certain party” (certain these suggestions and analyses, this paper discusses the Fang 某方 ), and oracle bone experts interpret this as northern-style bronzes unearthed from offering pits, meaning the surrounding chiefdoms. The groups from sacrificial pits and tombs at the Yinxu Site and reveals the surrounding areas attacking the border regions of the that the northern-style bronzes frequently seen at Yinxu, Shang territory that are referred to in the inscriptions especially the ones dating to the late stage of Phase I on the large bovine scapulae mentioned above include and Phase II of Yinxu Period (i.e., those dating to the Qiong Fang, Tu Fang, and Fang Fang. According to the reigns of Kings Wu Ding and Zu Jia), are a sign of sentence structure of the inscriptions on these oracle frequent warfare between the Shang people and the ethnic bones, the date of the fifth or sixth month mentioned in groups inhabiting the Northern Frontier Zone, warfare the verification statement of each inscription is the date having been the main form of the contact between them. on which the couriers from the border regions reached Moreover, this paper discusses the significance of the the residence of the king and reported the attacks. communication of the Shang with these northern ethnic The words in the oracle bone texts running “ 有来艱 groups for establishing exchange between the Shang and 自□ (disaster coming from X [a certain direction])” the people in the Eurasian Steppe. shows that the report from the border regions that were brought the residence related certain dangers, and the Keywords: Bronzes–Shang Dynasty; chiefdoms–China– location of the place where the event took place can be to 221 BC; ethnic relations–history; Northern Frontier Zone determined in relation to the place where the king made (China)–archaeology the prognostication (i.e., the region around Anyang). The tale of who intruded into which territory exactly Attacks on the Shang Kingdom by northern eth- describes the constellation that the couriers from the nic groups as reflected in oracle bone inscrip- border regions of the Shang territory reported to the tions from the time of Wu Ding king. The invasions mentioned in the oracle bone inscriptions concur with the definition from the story A number of oracle bone inscriptions on large bovine about the fifth year of Duke Yin of the Lu State in scapulae from the time of Wu Ding recorded intrusions Guliang zhuan 榖梁传 (Guliang Chi's commentary) to of northern ethnic groups into the western and northern Chunqiu 春秋 (the Spring-and-Autumn Annals) which territories of the Shang Kingdom. The characters on this says: “To capture the people and loot the livestock type of oracle bones were regular, strong, and mostly means to invade.” had cinnabar encrustation. Many of these inscriptions The 11 oracle bone inscriptions run as follows: described the king himself making prognostications (as “Disaster came from the north [a few days before] jichou shown in the words “the king prognosticated saying”), in the fifth month [when] the Qiong Fang chiefdom advanced 156 F. Zhu: The relationship between the Shang and the ethnic groups on the Northern Frontiers into the territory of the Zhang Clan 有来艱自西 , 五月己丑 五月丁酉前几日 , 土方征于沚氏东鄙田 , 二邑 , 方 前几日 , 方征于 氏之奠 (the obverse of no. 584 and the 亦侵沚氏西鄙田 (the obverse of no. 6057 in 甲骨文合集, reverse of no. 137 in 甲骨文合集 [Collection of the oracle see Figure 1:1).” bone inscriptions], see Figure 1:4 and Figure 1:3).” “Disaster came from the west [a few days before] “Disaster came from the north [a few days before] wuxu(?) in the fifth month [when] the Qiong Fang xinmao in the fifth month [when] the Tu Fang chiefdom chiefdom invaded the Zhi Clan有来艱自西, 五月戊戌(?) invaded into the fields of the You Clan and (captured) ten 前几日 , 方侵沚氏 (the obverse of no. 7143 in 甲骨文 men 有来艱自北 , 五月辛卯前几日 , 土方侵 氏田十人 合集 , see Figure 1:6).” (the reverse of no. 6057 in 甲骨文合集 , see Figure 1:2).” “[a few days before] guimao in the fifth month the “Disaster came from the west [a few days before] Fang chiefdom advanced into Yong 五月癸卯前几日 , renchen in the fifth month [when] the Qiong Fang(?) 方征于邕 (the obverse of no. 6778 in 甲骨文合集 , see chiefdom advanced into the territory of the Guan Clan Figure 1:7).” and annexed the four cities 有来艱自西 , 五月壬辰前几 “Disaster came from the north [a few days before] 日 , 方 (?) 征 氏之奠 , 四邑 (the reverse of no. 584 jiachen in the fifth month [when] the Fang chiefdom in 甲骨文合集 , see Figure 1:5).” advanced into You and captured fifteen people” [ 有来 “Disaster came from the west [a few days before] 艱自北 , 五月甲辰日 , 方征于 , 俘人十有五人 (the dingyou in the fifth month [when] the Tu Fang chiefdom reverse of no. 137 in 甲骨文合集 , see Figure 1:3).” advanced into the eastern border fields of the Zhi lineage “Disaster came from the north [a few days before] and annexed two cities, while the Qiong Fang chiefdom wushen in the fifth (or sixth) month [when] the Fang invaded the western fields of the Zhi Clan 有来艱自西 , chiefdom again advanced into You and captured sixteen 1 2 3 6 4 5 7 Figure 1 The oracle bone inscriptions about the attacks on the Shang Kingdom by northern ethnic groups during the reign of King Wu Ding. 1. The obverse of no. 6057; 2. The reverse of no. 6057; 3. reverse of no. 137; 4. The obverse of no. 584; 5. The reverse of no. 584; 6. The obverse of no. 7143; 7. The obverse of no. 6778. F. Zhu: The relationship between the Shang and the ethnic groups on the Northern Frontiers 157 people [ 有来艱自北 ,] 五 ( 或六 ) 月戊申 , 方亦征 , 5. Qiong Fang, Tu Fang, and Fang Fang mainly 俘人十有六人 (the reverse of no. 137 in 甲骨文合集 , destroyed small settlements on the periphery of the Shang see Figure 1:3).” territory and plundered property and people. Their manner “Disaster came from the west [a few days before] of invasion was destructive, not actually aiming to claim jisi in the sixth month [when] the Qiong Fang chiefdom territory; as these adversaries belonged to ethnic groups of again invaded the Zhang Clan (and captured) seventy-five northern origin, it is very likely that they were practicing people on the Lai field 有来艱自西 , 六月己巳前几日 , a nomadic or combined nomadic-agricultural subsistence 方又侵 氏示 田七十五人 (the obverse of no. 6057 in system, constantly changing their place of residence. 甲骨文合集 , see Figure 1:1).” 6. As the northern ethnic groups were moving around From the content of the oracle bone texts we can infer a lot at the time, it is only possible to roughly estimate the following facts: the location of their armed forces at the time of attack 1. Judging by the direction from which the reports as well as their general location and origin. The Qiong are coming, it is possible to infer that the Zhang , Fang likely came from western Shanxi, the Tu Fang Guan , Zhi 沚 and other clans of the Shang Empire might have come from the region covered by present-day were all located in the western border region of the Shang northwestern Shanxi, northeastern Shaanxi, and southern territory, i.e., in the southeastern part of present-day and middle Inner Mongolia, while the Fang Fang likely Shanxi. Summing up the archaeological material (i.e., the lived in the northern mountains of present-day Hebei. material from sites in southeastern Shanxi from which the There are many different chiefdom-level ethnic groups remains of Yinxu Culture have been excavated), the three mentioned in the oracle bone inscriptions from Yinxu as clans living in the western border region of the Shang living in the border regions around the Shang territory, territory likely settled in the Zhuo (Muddy) and Qing and the “fangs” described above are in no way the only (Clear) Zhang River Valleys in the western foothills of the such groups mentioned in the oracle bone inscriptions in Taihang Mountains in southeastern Shanxi.