Inscriptions on an oracle bone.(File Photo)

Photo Gallery >>>BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists have discovered pottery bearing inscriptions dating back 4,500 years, which could prove to be China's earliest written language.

These pottery fragments, found in the ruins of an ancient city in Huaiyang county, central China's Henan Province, are believed to be parts of a spinning wheel, according to a report released by the Huaiyang government.

The inscriptions are similar in shape to those found in the Ba Gua, an octagonal diagram that is a fundamental philosophical concept of ancient China, the report said, quoting renowned Chinese archaeologist Li Xueqin of Tsinghua University.

Before this discovery, the earliest Chinese characters discovered by archaeologists were inscriptions on bones and tortoise shells -- known as the Oracle Bones -- buried in the royal tombs of the Shang Dynasty 3,000 years ago. They were used to tell the oracles from the gods.

"The discovery of the inscriptions on the spinning wheel proves that Pingliangtai, where the ruins are located, could be one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization," Li said. Enditem