 Many of the oracle bone inscriptions record these petitions, usually praying for rain but also seeking approval from Shangdi for state action.In the later Shang and Zhou dynasties, Shangdi was conflated with Heaven (, "Tiān").The Duke of Zhou justified his clan's usurpation through the concept of the Mandate of Heaven, which proposed that the protection of Shangdi was not connected to their clan membership but by their just governance.