 The surviving archaeological record shows that by the Shang, the shoulder blades of sacrificed oxen were used to send questions or communication through fire and smoke to the divine realm, a practice known as scapulimancy.The heat would cause the bones to crack and royal diviners would interpret the marks as Shangdi's response to the king.Inscriptions used for divination were buried into special orderly pits, while those that were for practice or records were buried in common middens after use.