China: The Oracle Bones, Shang Dynasty
Select a profile (DNA file) from the list:
New Test!
What's included in this test?
- This test provides powerful, innovative, and interactive DNA-based tools to help you explore your ancestors from Bronze Age China during the Shang Dynasty (1594 BC–945 BC). This era marks the emergence of early Chinese statehood, urban centers, bronze technology, stratified elites, and the earliest known Chinese writing system—preserved on oracle bones used for divination, governance, and ritual.
- Discover how closely you are related to China: The Oracle Bones — Shang Dynasty (1594 BC–945 BC), individuals associated with Shang-period populations—royal lineages, warrior elites, ritual specialists, artisans, farmers, and urban communities whose identities were shaped by kinship-based rule, ancestral worship, warfare, and centralized authority centered along the Yellow River:
- Receive a detailed breakdown of your ancient geographical origins, including interactive ancestry maps showing where your ancestors lived, ruled, produced bronze, conducted rituals, and supported early cities within the Shang cultural sphere. You will also see your exact genetic similarity to each individual included in this Shang Dynasty dataset, capturing both elite and commoner population structure.
- Compare your DNA with over 50 worldwide modern populations.
- Journey back more than 3,000 years to reconnect with the people who shaped the foundations of Chinese civilization—when ancestors were consulted through fire and bone, power was recorded in script, and history first spoke in written form.
- Help us reconstruct early Chinese population structure, elite formation, and Bronze Age continuity using the power of ancient DNA.
- Meet the Shang Dynasty — When Writing, Ritual, and Kingship Began, this can be Your Story.
- Basic test includes 5 members.
- Advanced test includes 12 members. Best Deal: Unlock access to a broader collection of ancient Chinese, East Asian, and Bronze Age DNA tests with our compendium: China: The pre-Han Era of the Ancestors
About the test
China: The Oracle Bones — Shang Dynasty (1594 BC–945 BC)
Enter the earliest recorded civilization of China, when kings ruled through ritual, divination, and bronze power. This test uncovers your genetic connection to populations living between 1594 BC and 945 BC, during the rise, expansion, and transformation of the Shang Dynasty—the first Chinese state known through its own written records.
These individuals represent the people behind the oracle bones: royal lineages, ritual specialists, warriors, artisans, agricultural communities, and frontier populations whose lives were bound together by a shared cosmology centered on ancestors, sacrifice, and communication with the divine.
Historical context
The Shang Dynasty marks a turning point in East Asian history. It produced the earliest known Chinese writing—inscribed on oracle bones used for divination—alongside advanced bronze metallurgy, complex urban centers, and a stratified political system ruled by hereditary kings. Shang authority was not confined to a single core region, but extended across a wide and dynamic landscape through warfare, alliances, ritual networks, and population movement.
Archaeological and genetic evidence reveals that Shang society was deeply interconnected with surrounding regions. Communities in the Central Plains interacted with populations from Inner Mongolia, the northeast river basins, and the western frontiers of what is now Xinjiang. These interactions shaped the demographic foundations of early China and contributed to the cultural complexity visible in Shang material culture and ritual practice.
Collected and reconstructed from:
What these populations represent
Together, these sites capture the true reach of the Shang world:
This is not a test of writing alone—but of the people who created China’s first recorded civilization.
This test reveals:
Perfect for:
Your personalized report includes:
Discover your DNA from the Shang Dynasty— the oracle-bone witnesses to China’s first written history.
Enter the earliest recorded civilization of China, when kings ruled through ritual, divination, and bronze power. This test uncovers your genetic connection to populations living between 1594 BC and 945 BC, during the rise, expansion, and transformation of the Shang Dynasty—the first Chinese state known through its own written records.
These individuals represent the people behind the oracle bones: royal lineages, ritual specialists, warriors, artisans, agricultural communities, and frontier populations whose lives were bound together by a shared cosmology centered on ancestors, sacrifice, and communication with the divine.
Historical context
The Shang Dynasty marks a turning point in East Asian history. It produced the earliest known Chinese writing—inscribed on oracle bones used for divination—alongside advanced bronze metallurgy, complex urban centers, and a stratified political system ruled by hereditary kings. Shang authority was not confined to a single core region, but extended across a wide and dynamic landscape through warfare, alliances, ritual networks, and population movement.
Archaeological and genetic evidence reveals that Shang society was deeply interconnected with surrounding regions. Communities in the Central Plains interacted with populations from Inner Mongolia, the northeast river basins, and the western frontiers of what is now Xinjiang. These interactions shaped the demographic foundations of early China and contributed to the cultural complexity visible in Shang material culture and ritual practice.
Collected and reconstructed from:
- Erdaojingzi (Inner Mongolia, Chifeng), Northern frontier populations reflecting interaction between Shang cultural spheres and steppe-adjacent communities.
- Zhaodong, northern bank of the Songhua River (Songnen Plain, Heilongjiang), Northeastern populations illustrating long-distance connectivity across river systems in the Amur Basin.
- Jiaozuoniecun site (Henan Province, Jiaozuo), Central Plains contexts associated with the core population of Shang ritual, political, and agricultural life.
- Tangbalesayi; Wutulan; Jirentaigoukou; Kuokesuxi (Xinjiang, Yili Region), Western frontier sites reflecting population movement, exchange, and interaction along early Inner Asian corridors.
- Songshugou (Xinjiang, Altai Region, Jeminay County), High-altitude and frontier populations illustrating Shang-era interaction with northern and western cultural zones.
- Liushui (Xinjiang, Hotan / Khotan Region, Yutian County), Southern Tarim Basin contexts highlighting long-distance demographic links far beyond the Shang core.
What these populations represent
Together, these sites capture the true reach of the Shang world:
- The ritual and agricultural heartland of early Chinese civilization
- Frontier communities interacting with Shang political and cultural systems
- Long-distance mobility across northern, western, and northeastern regions
- The genetic foundations of later Chinese populations
This is not a test of writing alone—but of the people who created China’s first recorded civilization.
This test reveals:
- The genetic profile of Shang Dynasty–era populations
- Population diversity within early Chinese civilization
- Connections between the Central Plains and China’s frontiers
- The biological roots of later Bronze Age and early historical China
Perfect for:
- Individuals with East Asian or Chinese ancestry
- Those interested in the origins of Chinese writing and statehood
- Enthusiasts of Bronze Age civilizations and ritual societies
- Anyone seeking DNA insight into China’s earliest recorded past
Your personalized report includes:
- Direct genetic comparison to Shang-era individuals from across China
- mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroups associated with early East Asian populations
- Affinity analysis linking you to core and frontier Shang communities
- Archaeological and historical context covering oracle bones, bronze culture, and early kingship
Discover your DNA from the Shang Dynasty— the oracle-bone witnesses to China’s first written history.
Similar tests
Why take this test
Up until 2010, reading the DNA of ancient people was a dream. Since then, the DNA of a Neanderthal who lived over 30,000 years ago has been sequenced. After that reading, the DNA of ancient people who lived from 15,000 BC to 1,800 AD all over the world became the main object of paleogenomic research. This leap forward in technology allowed the creation of a new type of DNA test — tests that do not use modern-day populations as stand-ins for the ancient tribes but rather go right to the source and study these ancient peoples themselves.
The Ancient DNA Hub DNA test is the first next-generation DNA test. It is designed solely using the DNA of ancient people throughout history using our novel technologies.
With this test, you will receive a precise ancient ethnicity estimate with far greater geographical details than you could imagine. You will make new connections with historical people and places where your ancestors lived, walked, battled, created, and dreamed thousands of years ago. Using genetic data and evidence from history and archeology, we can revive the past and allow you to take part in this story at the most personal level.
The Ancient DNA Hub DNA test is the first next-generation DNA test. It is designed solely using the DNA of ancient people throughout history using our novel technologies.
With this test, you will receive a precise ancient ethnicity estimate with far greater geographical details than you could imagine. You will make new connections with historical people and places where your ancestors lived, walked, battled, created, and dreamed thousands of years ago. Using genetic data and evidence from history and archeology, we can revive the past and allow you to take part in this story at the most personal level.
