They were also used in Shang-era rituals in the names of dead family members, who were offered sacrifices on the corresponding day of the Shang week.
Most prominently, they have been used in conjunction with the associated set of twelve Earthly Branches in the compound sexagenary cycle, an important feature of historical Chinese calendars.
[1] Some scholars believe the Heavenly Stems, and the associated ten-day week, are connected to a story from Chinese mythology where ten suns appeared in the sky, whose order comprised a ten-day cycle (旬; xún); the Heavenly Stems are conjectured to be the names for each of these ten suns.
The sinologist David Keightley, who specialized in ancient Chinese bronzes, believes that the Stems were chosen posthumously through divination.
[3] Some historians think the ruling class of the Shang had ten clans, but it is not clear whether their society reflected the myth or vice versa.