The Twelve Chinese Zodiac Scripts of Ancient Luo Yue Stone Inscriptions and the Oracle Bone: A Comparative Study

The 12 animal calendars of the Chinese zodiac are the essence and source of Chinese civilization, and have been deeply rooted in the production, life, and social activities of various ethnic groups in China since ancient times. The ancient Luo Yue stone inscription is a popular ancient script from four to six thousand years ago, and 17,496 characters have been found, which is the earliest script found on the Chinese land so far. A comparative study of Chinese zodiac characters between the ancient Luo Yue stone inscriptions and the oracle bone through paleographic conformation reveals that the two characters have the same and similar characteristics. Therefore, this paper intends to further investigate the kinship between the two, and to conduct a preliminary exploration of the origin, development, and evolution of the zodiac by combining recent human archaeological data, emerging molecular anthropological data, historical literature, and data from the Chinese Civilization Exploration Project, in an attempt to show the integration and dependence of Chinese civilization, the pluralistic pattern of Chinese culture, and the Chinese nation for thousands of years.