The practice of scapulimancy; that is, divination through the appearance of the shoulder-blade of an animal, which may or may not have been subjected to scorching, is among the most ancient methods of fortune-telling in Eurasia and among other widespread regions of the world.

Oracle bones were in use in the China of Shang-Yin dynasty and the practice has persisted in Mongolia up to very recently and probably still exists.

Methods of using bones for fortune-telling are recorded from areas as far removed culturally and geographically as early China and Greece.