'''Oraculology''' ({{lang-zhzhi|s=甲骨学}}{{R needed|t=甲骨學|p=jiǎgǔxué}}) is the study of [[oracle bone]]s and oracle bone script.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Wang |first1=Yuxin |last2=Wei |first2=Jianzhen |publisher=[[Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-7-500-48878-1 |___location=Beijing |script-title=zh:甲骨学导论 |trans-title=History of China historiography |author-mask=Wang Yuxin (王宇信); |author-mask2=Wei Jianzhen (魏建震) |language=zh}}</ref> It is a humanities discipline that focuses on the [[History of China|Chinese Upper Antiquity]] oracle characters. Oracle bone science can be divided into a narrow sense of oracle bone science and a broad sense of oracle bone science. In the narrow sense, the study of oracle bone script is limited to the study of oracle bone script itself, and it is a discipline of [[Grammatology|paleography]]. This includes the integration of theories, research methods and materials from various disciplines, such as paleography, history, archaeology, historical culture, historical literature, and cultural anthropology, to thoroughly study the historical and cultural background of the oracle bones and some of the patterns of the oracle bone divination. It is a diversified and specialized discipline.<ref name="wang-2010a">{{Cite book |last1=Wang |first1=Yuxin |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/690131145 |title=Jia gu xue dao lun = History of China historiography |last2=王宇信Wei |datefirst2=2010Jianzhen |publisher=[[Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]] |othersyear=Jianzhen Wei, 魏建震2010 |isbn=978-7-5004500-887848878-1 |edition___location=DiBeijing 1|script-title=zh:甲骨学导论 ban|trans-title=History of Chinese Historiography |___locationauthor-mask=BeijingWang Yuxin (王宇信); |oclcauthor-mask2=690131145Wei Jianzhen (魏建震) |language=zh}}</ref> In the early days of oracle bone discovery, oracle bones were called "''qiwen"'', and the study of oracle bones was called "''qiology''". In 1931, Zhou Yitong proposed for the first time that "oracle bone science" was an independent discipline.<ref name="wang-2010a" /> Wang Yuxin emphasized that oracle bones are precious cultural relics and historical materials left over from the ancient period, but their value for archaeological and historical research lies in orthography beyond script interpretation, which has become increasingly recognized by scholars as orthography develops. Oracle bone science is a systematic and scientific inquiry into the inherent laws of the oracle bone script itself and uses it as a basis for glimpsing the history, society, and customs of the ancient world. The oracle bones should not be confused with orthography.<ref>{{Cite book |last=[[Wang|first=Yunxin |author-mask=Wang Yuxin (王宇信]] )|script-title=《zh:甲骨学通论》 |datetrans-title=Introduction to Oraculology |year=1999年 |publisher=中国社会科学院出版社[[Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]] |isbn=9787500403296978-7-500-40329-6 |pages=3–4页 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>
