Identification of beeswax excavated from the Han Period Mausoleum M1 of the King of Jiangdu, Jiangsu, China

Two amorphous lumps of a black material with a combined weight of c. 1 kg were recovered during rescue excavations at the Mausoleum M1 of the King of Jiangdu, located at Dayun Hill, Jiangsu Province, China, and dated to the Western Han Period (202 BC-8 AD). This paper reports the analysis of this material by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Through comparison with modern reference samples, the archaeological material is identified as beeswax. Based on archaeological and documentary evidence, it is argued that this provides direct evidence for the early use of beeswax and could constitute the earliest use of beeswax as fuel for lamps in China.